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AI and the Library: Referencing AI

This guide provides an overview for students and staff in effectively integrating Generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT, into their literature search process.

How to reference AI tools and LLMs

Make sure to follow your School's recommended referencing format, and in the case of the Harvard/Author-Date-Title system, check which specific version your School prefers. When citing an AI tool, refer to Cite Them Right,  where you can search for guidelines on citing AI in Harvard or APA formats. This will provide you with the correct structure for both in-text citations and your bibliography.

For example,

Harvard looks like this:

Citation order:

  • Creator (name of AI)
  • Year (in round brackets)
  • Title of work (in italics)
  • [Medium]
  • Available at: DOI or URL (Accessed: date)

In-text citation

The AI-generated flower (Shutterstock AI, 2023) ...

Reference list

Shutterstock AI (2023) Photo of pond with lotus flower [Digital art]. Available at: https://www.shutterstock.com/image-generated/photo-pond-lotus-flower-2252080005 (Accessed: 31 March 2023).

 

APA looks like this:

Citation order:

  • Author of AI program
  • Year of the program version used (in round brackets)
  • Name of AI (as the title, in italics)
  • Version, if applicable (in round brackets)
  • Description of program (for context, in square brackets)
  • Publisher, if different from the author
  • URL, if applicable