ChatGPT can be a great resource to gather ideas and brainstorm, but if you use something ChatGPT generates, you will have to cite it like any other source!
Let’s take a look at an example of a ChatGPT citation. We are going to create a poem about our I-Know department!
Here’s the prompt we’ll use:
Create a poem about I-Know using this information: All First Year Seminar, select major prerequisite, and all capstone courses will be designated I-Know courses. This means that they will integrate at least one of our Student Learning Objectives (SLOs).The SLOs defined by our Quality Enhancement Plan are Find, Evaluate, Create, and Communicate, I-Know Digital Information Literacy is TAMUCC’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) to prepare students for the evolving information landscape. After going through the I-Know Program, TAMUCC graduates will be able to confidently find, evaluate, create, and communicate knowledge using digital technologies, and will have the skills to adapt and thrive in the next generation of technological innovations.
Remember, you can ask ChatGPT to modify the prompt.
After it generated our first example, we asked it to make it shorter and more humorous!
Here’s what it gave us:
I-Know What You Did Last Semester
by ChatGPT
At TAMUCC, we’ve got a plan,
To make you smarter than your Wi-Fi can.
In Seminars, majors, and capstone scenes, I-Know’s the engine behind your dreams.
You’ll Find the facts (not just scroll TikTok),
Evaluate what’s real (no Al shock).
Create cool stuff your profs adore,
Communicate it—maybe win awards! (Or at least a decent score.)
It’s not just flair, it’s digital skill, To ride the tech wave, not sit still.
So plug in, log on, get ready to grow-
You’re not just a student… you’re an I-Know pro.
Finally, citations!
As with any other source, if you utilize something from an AI-generated response, it should be cited.
Here’s how to cite this poem!
OpenAI. (2025, April 22). Poem about the I-Know Program at TAMUCC (GPT-4o) [Large language model response to user prompt]. ChatGPT. https://chat.openai.com/
And any in-text citations would look like this:
(OpenAI, 2025)
These examples use the current APA 7th edition format. The technology company providing the AI tool is given credit as the author of that tool (much like the writer of a computer program is given credit for both the program and any outputs it creates). In this case, that’s OpenAI.
For a little more information about citing AI-generated content in APA, here are some links:
How to Cite AI-Generated Content (Purdue OWL)
How to cite ChatGPT (APA Style Blog)
