In the text of your paper, you could describe how you used the AI tool, provide the prompt used, and then any portion of the relevant text that was generated in response.
For the bibliography, use the APA software citation template to cite AI. APA Publishing Policies
References to specific AI chats
Template:
AI Company Name. (year, month day). Title of chat in italics [Description, such as Generative AI chat]. Tool Name/Model. URL of the chat
Example:
Anthropic. (2025, November 20). Explaining Courage to a 7 year old [Generative AI chat]. Claude Sonnet 4.5. https://claude.ai/chat/707e7885-a5e5-4da1-892b-71da1753b152
Citing an general AI use
"Cite an AI tool generally when it would be unhelpful, unethical, or otherwise inappropriate to cite a specific chat—as well as when you want to point to the existence of the AI tool but not necessarily cite specific information from it."
Template:
AI Company Name. (year). Tool Name/Model in Italics and Title Case [Description; e.g., Large language model]. URL of the tool
Example:
OpenAI. (2025). ChatGPT [Large language model]. https://chatgpt.com
Use the MLA Template
Author: It is not recommended to treat the AI tool as an author.
Title of Source: Describe what was generated by the AI tool. This may involve including information about the prompt in the Title of Source element if not done in the text.
Title of Container: Use the Title of Container element to name the AI tool (e.g., ChatGPT).
Version: Name the version of the AI tool as specifically as possible. For example, ChatGPT 3.5, and a version date, if available.
Publisher: Name the company that made the tool.
Date: Give the date the content was generated.
Location: Give the general URL for the tool.
Example:
“Describe the symbolism of the green light in the book The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald” prompt. ChatGPT, 13 Feb. version, OpenAI, 8 Mar. 2025, chatgpt.com.
https://style.mla.org/citing-generative-ai-updated-revised/