How to Cite or Disclose AI Use in a Report: APA, MLA, Chicago

If you quote, paraphrase or reuse text that an AI tool wrote, all three major style guides say to credit the tool, and APA and MLA both say not to treat the AI as the author, and Chicago's sample note lists no author either. APA treats the tool's company as the author, MLA names the tool as the container of the work, and Chicago says that for most writing a plain mention in your text is enough. Which one applies depends on the style your employer, client, publisher or school requires, so check that first.

1. APA: company as author, chat as title

APA Style's guidance, published in September 2025, replaced its 2023 advice to cite only the tool. Because most chat tools now provide a share link for each chat, APA says a specific chat can be cited like other sources, and it encourages authors to "err on the side of thoroughness and transparency."

The template for a specific chat is: AI company name, date (year, month and day of the chat), title of chat in italics, a bracketed description such as [Generative AI chat], the tool or model name, and the chat URL.

APA's example for a ChatGPT chat reads: OpenAI. (2025, August 21). High school grammar concepts [Generative AI chat]. ChatGPT. https://chatgpt.com/share/...

APA explains that the company is the author because that element means whoever is responsible for the work. It says AI itself cannot be an author because it cannot consent or take on the responsibilities of authorship. APA also lets you cite the AI tool in general, without a specific chat, for example when you used it to edit your own writing. APA also says that disclosure and permission depend on instructor, departmental and publisher policies, and that passing off AI-generated work as your own is unethical.

2. MLA: tool as container, model as version

The MLA Style Center says "we do not recommend treating the AI tool as an author." Its updated guidance (August 2025) uses these elements:

• Title of source: describe what the AI generated, which may include the prompt.
• Title of container: the tool, such as ChatGPT.
• Version: the specific model or model version, as specifically as possible.
• Publisher: the company that made the tool.
• Date: when the content was generated.
• Location: a stable, shareable URL to the generated content; if the tool has none, the general URL for the tool.

MLA's sample entry: "Describe the theme of nature in Jane Austen's Mansfield Park" prompt. ChatGPT, model GPT-4o, OpenAI, 23 Sept. 2024, chatgpt.com/share/...

For AI-generated images, MLA suggests a figure caption with a description of the prompt, the tool, model or version, and date created.

3. Chicago: name the tool, add a note if needed

The Chicago Manual of Style answer says you "do need to credit ChatGPT and similar tools whenever you use the text that they generate in your own work (in addition to acknowledging other uses of such tools)." But for most types of writing you can simply name the tool in your text, for example "The following recipe for pizza dough was generated by ChatGPT."

When a formal citation is required, Chicago shows a numbered note, such as: Text generated by ChatGPT, OpenAI, January 10, 2026, URL. If the prompt is not in the text, it can go in the note. Chicago adds that if you edited the generated text, you should say so, for example "edited for style and content," but that routine changes such as smart quotes or font adjustments need no mention.

4. Side-by-side

5. Do not cite the AI when it cites something else

MLA adds a caution that applies to any report: AI tools can hallucinate, or make up, sources, and can summarize the content they cite incorrectly. MLA recommends consulting and citing the sources the AI links to, instead of the AI's own response. If you cite an AI summary that includes sources and do not consult those sources yourself, MLA recommends acknowledging the secondary sources in your work.

6. Practical steps for a workplace document

1. Find out which style, if any, your organization or client requires. If none, a short plain statement works, such as "Draft prepared with ChatGPT; reviewed and edited by [role]."
2. Save the share link for any chat you rely on, and note the date and model name.
3. Quote or paraphrase only after checking facts against a primary source, and cite that source directly.
4. Say what the AI did: drafting, summarizing, translating or editing. All three guides tie citation to use of the generated text, and Chicago separately asks you to acknowledge other uses.
5. Say what you edited. Chicago asks you to note when you have edited generated text.

7. Key takeaways

• APA, MLA and Chicago all say to credit AI-generated text. APA and MLA say not to treat the AI as an author.
• APA cites the company as author with the chat date, title and share URL; MLA lists the tool as container with the model as version.
• Chicago allows a simple in-text mention for most writing, with a note when formal citation is needed.
• Cite the sources an AI points to, not the AI's summary of them, because AI can invent or misdescribe sources.
• Policy at your workplace or publisher comes first; the style guides cover format, not permission.