Chicago Citation Guide (17th Edition): AI-Generated Content

Generative AI tools are relatively new, and constantly evolving. Because of this, the guidelines around how to cite these tools frequently change.

If you plan on using AI tools in your assignment, check this page frequently, to ensure you are following the most up-to-date guidelines on how to cite these tools.

Please note: If you have used AI-generated content in your assignment, you are required not only to provide proper citations, but also, to explain how you used AI for your assignment.

• For example, did the AI tool translate words for you? Did it explain a concept to you? Did it give you a plan for how you would structure your assignment? Describe all of the ways in which the AI tool(s) helped you.
• If your assignment contains content that was originally generated by an AI tool and then modified (for example, you edited text that you got from ChatGPT, and then added it to your assignment), you should acknowledge this as well.

You can do this at any point in your assignment (in the introduction, the body text, etc.; whatever is most appropriate).

Also, be sure to confirm that your instructor allows the use of AI tools in assignments.

The term “prompt” refers to the instructions that you write and submit to a generative AI tool (such as ChatGPT or DALL·E), in order to get it to perform a task for you.

The generative AI tool will then create an “output.” This is the response it gives to your prompt. An output might take the form of text, images, videos, or other media.

Depending on what you are working on, you may ask the generative AI tool to do things like:

• Translate words from one language to another
• Explain a concept, or concepts, to you
• Synthesize two or more texts
• Write a short text
• Create step-by-step instructions for how to complete a large assignment

There is no set standard for how long your prompt should be. It all depends on what you want the generative AI tool to do. For some tasks, an effective prompt could be one sentence long; for others, a successful prompt would require a full paragraph of instructions.

For tips on creating a successful prompt, see “What is a Prompt?” in our Artificial Intelligence guide.

This description was adapted from "Fine Tuning Prompts for AI Tools" from the "Artificial Intelligence Guide" by Bronte Chang, University of Calgary Library which is licensed under CC BY 4.0.

When using Chicago Style, do not include a Bibliography entry for your AI-generated content unless you are able to provide a publicly available URL to it (i.e. a URL that does not require the user to log in before they can view the content). If you are not able to provide a publicly available URL, only include a footnote for the AI-generated content (or a caption, if it is an image).

Footnote:

Footnote Number. Text generated by ChatGPT, OpenAI, Month Day, Year, https://chat.openai.com/chat.

If you haven’t included your prompt in the body text of your assignment, put it into the footnote:

Footnote Number. ChatGPT, response to “Prompt,” OpenAI, Month Day, Year.

Shortened Footnote:

Footnote Number. ChatGPT.

Or, if the prompt was not included in the body text of your assignment:

Footnote Number. ChatGPT, response to “First four words of prompt."

Note:

Do not include a direct URL to your ChatGPT prompt and response. If you include a URL, use https://chat.openai.com/chat.

Bibliography Entry:

Chicago does not recommend adding a bibliography entry for ChatGPT-generated content.

If you insert an image generated by DALL-E into your assignment, include a caption for it directly below the image, using the following formatting:

Example:

Fig. 1. “Create an Impressionist-style image of a basket of five kittens,” image generated by OpenAI’s DALL-E 3, September 19, 2024.

Bibliography Entry:

The Chicago Manual of Style, 17^th Edition, does not recommend including a bibliography entry for images generated using DALL-E, unless you are able to include a publicly available URL for the image. If you do include a bibliography entry, use the following formatting:

Footnote:

Footnote number. Video/Audio generated by Name of AI Tool version if applicable, Company or Creator of AI Tool, Month Day, Year, URL.

Or, if you did not include your prompt in the body text of your assignment:

Footnote Number. Name of AI Tool version if applicable, response to “Full text of prompt,” Company or Creator of AI Tool, Month Day, Year.

Shortened Footnote:

Footnote number. Name of AI Tool version if applicable.

Or, if the prompt was not included in the body text of your assignment:

Footnote number. Name of AI Tool version if applicable, response to "First four words of prompt."

Bibliography:

The Chicago Manual of Style, 17^th Edition, does not recommend adding a bibliography entry unless you are able to include a publicly available URL for your AI-generated content.

The information on this page was developed using the following resources:

The Chicago Manual of Style Online. “Citation, Documentation of Sources: Q. How Do You Cite Images Generated by DALL-E?” Accessed September 19, 2024. https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/qanda/data/faq/topics/Documentation/faq0423.html

The Chicago Manual of Style. “Citation, Documentation of Sources: Q. How Do You Recommend Citing Content Developed or Generated by Artificial Intelligence, Such as ChatGPT? Many Scholarly Publishers are Requiring its Identification Though Also Requiring Human Authors to Take Responsibility For it and Will Not Permit the AI to Have 'Authorship.'” Accessed September 23, 2024, https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/qanda/data/faq/topics/Documentation/faq0422.html.