How to cite ChatGPT depends on your citation style, and APA, MLA and Chicago have each published their own rules for AI. This free generator follows them: pick a style, choose ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot or Perplexity, add the date and your prompt, and copy a ready reference entry and in-text citation, italics included.
Free AI citation generator
Cite ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini correctly
Pick the style and the AI tool, add the date and your prompt, and copy a reference entry and in-text citation built to APA, MLA and Chicago's own published guidance for AI. Italics are kept when you paste into Google Docs or Word.
Get the printable citation cheat sheet
One page with the APA, MLA and Chicago formats for AI side by side, your citation in all three styles, and the rules teachers check. Print it or save it as a PDF.
Unlocked: your cheat sheet is just below, with a print button. You are also on the weekly HOW TO // AI newsletter.
Free. You also get the HOW TO // AI newsletter once a week. Unsubscribe any time.
Sources: APA Style blog (September 9, 2025 post, which replaced APA's 2023 ChatGPT guidance), MLA Style Center (updated August 2025) and Chicago Manual of Style Online Q&A (18th edition), all checked October 18, 2026. Your instructor's or publisher's rules come first, so check them too. Nothing you type is uploaded or saved.
How to use the AI citation generator
- Choose your style: APA 7, MLA 9 or Chicago 18.
- Pick the AI tool and the date of the chat.
- Paste the chat’s share link if you have one. APA notes that most AI chat tools now have a sharing option.
- Add the chat’s title (APA uses it) and your prompt (MLA and Chicago use it).
- Copy the entry into your reference list, and the in-text citation wherever you use the AI’s words or ideas.
How to cite ChatGPT: APA, MLA and Chicago side by side
| Style | Entry for a ChatGPT chat | In your text |
|---|---|---|
| APA 7 | OpenAI. (2026, October 18). Title of the chat [Generative AI chat]. ChatGPT. Share link | (OpenAI, 2026) |
| MLA 9 | “Your prompt” prompt. ChatGPT, model name, OpenAI, 18 Oct. 2026, share link without https:// | (“First words of the prompt”) |
| Chicago 18 | 1. ChatGPT, response to “Your prompt,” OpenAI, October 18, 2026, share link. | Name the tool in your sentence, with the note number |
APA puts the chat’s title in italics. MLA puts the tool’s name in italics. The generator keeps the italics when you paste into Google Docs or Word.
APA: cite the chat, with the company as author
APA updated its AI guidance in September 2025. It now recommends citing the specific chat when you can: the company as the author, the date of the chat, the chat’s title in italics followed by [Generative AI chat], then the tool or model name and the chat’s share link. Prompts don’t go in the reference; describe them in your text, or in an appendix if your instructor asks. To cite a tool in general, for example when you used it to edit your own writing, APA uses the company, the year, the tool name in italics, [Large language model] and the tool’s web address. APA also no longer asks for version numbers.
MLA: describe the prompt
MLA does not treat the AI tool as an author. The entry starts with a description of what you asked, usually your prompt in quotation marks followed by the word prompt, then the tool in italics, the model (for example, model GPT-4o), the company, the date and the share link. If the tool has no share link, MLA says to give the tool’s general web address. MLA also advises checking any sources the AI points to and citing those sources directly.
Chicago: a note, or simply name the tool
Chicago says that for most writing you can simply name the AI tool in your text. For a student paper or research article, use a numbered footnote or endnote with the tool, the company, the date and the link from the Share button, and include the prompt in the note if your text doesn’t already quote it. If you edited the AI’s text, say so.
Before you cite AI in schoolwork
- Check your class policy first. Your instructor’s rules on whether and how you can use AI come before any style guide.
- Keep the chat. Save the share link or a copy in case you are asked to show your work.
- Check the facts. AI can make up facts and sources. Our free AI hallucination checker helps you spot claims to verify, and why AI makes things up explains why it happens.
- Say how you used it. Many teachers ask for a short note on how AI helped. The generator writes one you can edit.
Related on HOW TO // AI
- How to use ChatGPT: a plain-English beginner’s guide.
- How to use Claude: step by step, for beginners.
- AI summarizer: summarize long readings and PDFs.
- Free AI tools: more free generators and checkers.
Checked against the APA Style blog (September 9, 2025 guidance), the MLA Style Center (August 2025 update) and The Chicago Manual of Style Online Q&A on October 18, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How do you cite ChatGPT in APA?
Cite the specific chat: OpenAI. (Year, Month Day). Title of the chat in italics [Generative AI chat]. ChatGPT. Then the share link. In your text, use (OpenAI, year) or OpenAI (year). This follows APA's September 2025 guidance.
How do you cite ChatGPT in MLA?
Start with your prompt in quotation marks followed by the word prompt, then ChatGPT in italics, the model, OpenAI, the date in day month year order, and the chat's share link. In your text, use the first few words of the prompt in quotation marks.
Does ChatGPT go in a Chicago bibliography?
Chicago's Q&A gives a numbered footnote or endnote for AI-generated text, and says that for most writing you can simply name the tool in your text. It does not give a bibliography entry, so follow your instructor if they want one.
Is ChatGPT the author of the citation?
No. APA lists the company, OpenAI, as the author. MLA leaves the author out and starts with your prompt. Chicago names the tool and the company in the note.
How do I get a share link for a ChatGPT chat?
MLA notes that ChatGPT lets you share a link by clicking Share at the top of the conversation. Claude and Gemini also make share links. If your tool does not, MLA says to give the tool's general web address.