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Clark: Citing Sources

Ai and getting started in the Library

Citing your sources

When you borrow someone's information, data, remarks, etc. you must give credit to the original author.  The style of documentation you use depends on the disciplinary area of the course you are taking, e.g., English or Nursing.   You will use signal phrases, parenthetical citations, and works cited entries in the MLA style.  Use the information below to help format your citations correctly.

 

Cite it or not? Quick check

In class we’ll vote by hand. Use this box for a second pass on your own. Decide if each statement needs a citation, then open “Suggested answers.”

Activity image placeholder
 
  1. “The Earth orbits the sun once every 365 days.”
  2. “Fast fashion is one of the top five polluting industries worldwide.”
  3. “In my opinion, AI is replacing human creativity.”

    Note: if you pull ideas or wording from a source or an AI tool, you must cite that source or the AI output. If it is only your personal view, no outside citation.

Challenge:
“Eating ultra-processed foods increases cancer risk.”

Why? Write one sentence defending your choice with how you would verify it.

Suggested answers
  • Earth orbits the sun… Usually common knowledge in general education contexts, no citation needed. If you provide precise orbital period details beyond “365 days,” or in a specialized paper, you can cite a reference text.
  • Fast fashion claim needs a citation. Rankings vary by method and source. Use a credible report or peer-reviewed study and state the metric.
  • “In my opinion…” Personal claim alone does not require a citation. If the statement relies on external data or AI-generated text, cite the source or the AI output and verify with library databases.
  • Challenge: This is an interpretable health claim that depends on study design and population. It requires a citation to specific research, and you should describe the evidence quality.

Citing AI briefly: Attribute in text, name the model, include date and prompt context, then list it in References per your style guide. Always verify AI output with library databases.

Checking Citations with AI

Cite it Correctly

[Edit mode is disabled for mapped boxes]

Building blocks-MLA

  • Author: Do not treat the AI as an author; MLA is reserving that for human authors. Omit the author section of the citation.
  • Title of source: Describe what was generated by the AI tool. If you have not included information about the prompt in the text of your essay, you need to do that here.
  • Title of container: The name of the AI tool. 
  • Version: Name the version of the AI tool as specifically as possible. 
  • Date: Include the date the content was generated. 
  • Location: Give the URL for the tool. If possible, give the URL for the specific content. (Note: the style guide post is slightly out of date; you can now send someone a URL of your ChatGPT conversation. This is the URL you should use in your citation.)

Format

"Prompt text" prompt. AI tool, version of tool, company that made the tool, date text was generated. URL. 

Examples

  • In-text citation: ("Describe the symbolism")
  • Bibliography: “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. 2023, https://chat.openai.com/share/dccb3610-1db9-4eed-88b1-cdb06f67982a.

Check out the MLA Style Guide for more information Links to an external site.

Building blocks-APA

  • Author: Use the creator of the AI as the author (e.g. OpenAI, Google, etc.)
  • Date: Include the date the content was generated. 
  • Title: Use the name of the AI tool (e.g. ChatGPT, Bard)
  • Version: Name the version of the AI tool as specifically as possible. 
  • Description: In brackets, clarify that this is a large language model, or another specific type of generative AI.
  • Location: Give the URL for the tool. If possible, give the URL for the specific content. (Note: the style guide post is slightly out of date; you can now send someone a URL of your ChatGPT conversation. This is the URL you should use in your citation.)

Format

Company that made the tool (date text was generated). AI tool (version of tool) [Large language model]. URL. 

Examples

  • In-text citation: (OpenAI, 2023)
  • Bibliography: OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 14 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/share/dccb3610-1db9-4eed-88b1-cdb06f67982aLinks to an external site.Links to an external site.

In Chicago, you'll cite generative AI differently depending on whether or not you included the prompt in the text of your paper. If you included it in your paper, you don't need to repeat it in the citation. 

Building blocks-Chicago

  • Author: Treat the AI as the author. If you're footnoting quoted text, say "Text generated by [the AI tool]."
  • Date: Include the date the content was generated. 
  • Publisher: Use the company that created the AI (e.g. OpenAI, Google)
  • Location: Give the URL for the tool. If possible, give the URL for the specific content.

Format

Prompt already included in the paper:

1. Text generated by [name of the AI tool], date, Company that made the tool, URL.

Prompt not yet included in the paper: 

1. [Name of the AI tool], response to "prompt," date text was generated, Company that made the tool, URL.

Examples

  • Prompt already included in the paper: 1. Text generated by ChatGPT, March 7, 2023, OpenAI, https://chat.openai.com/share/dccb3610-1db9-4eed-88b1-cdb06f67982aLinks to an external site..
  • Prompt not yet included in the paper: 1. ChatGPT, response to “Explain how to make pizza dough from common household ingredients,” March 7, 2023, OpenAI, https://chat.openai.com/share/dccb3610-1db9-4eed-88b1-cdb06f67982aLinks to an external site..

Creative Commons License

Created by the Unversity of Maryland

MLA Style Resources

MLA Citation Guide created by ACC Librarians
Covers basic citation rules and provides citation examples of commonly used source types.

The MLA Style Center
Writing sources and support from the Modern Language Association

MLA Formatting and Style Guide
Created by the Purdue Online Writing Lab

Art Citations

 

Example of an image in your paper with a caption: Fig. 1.

 

“A watercolor painting of Batman reading a book in a library” prompt, DALL-E, version 2, 21 Aug. 2023. The entry on the Works Cited page: “A watercolor painting of Batman reading a book in a library” prompt. DALL-E, version 2, OpenAI, 21 Aug. 2023, labs.openai.com/s/D4u19kmQHkzTIucl9C1fW6Gf

Database Citation Tools

Most of our databases include tools that automatically generate citations for every article, video, eBook that you open.  The citation tools may look different depending on which database you use.  Look for the icons below in your resources to quickly access a citation that you can copy and past into your assignment.  Don't forget to check these auto-generated citations for occasional errors (use the ACC Library Style Guides!)

Most databases offer tools that will generate a citation for your article. Screenshot shows different icons for citation tools in different databases.

 

 

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3709800063/GVRL?u=txshracd2487&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=c6ed88b7

Libguide Citations

"Stylized, cartoon illustration of two friendly female librarians working collaboratively with AI" prompt, DALL-E, OpenAI, 10 Dec. 2024, https://chat.openai.com/.

"Graphic of a simple, yet attractive vacation destination," prompt, DALL-E, version 3 OpenAI, 10 Dec. 2024, https://chat.openai.com/.

"Graphic of a simple, yet attractive image of a person being their best self," prompt, DALL-E,version 3, OpenAI, 10 Dec. 2024, https://chat.openai.com/.

"Graphic of a simple yet attractive image of a fantasy world" prompt,  DALL-E, version 3, OpenAI, 10 Dec. 2024, https://chat.openai.com/.

"Stylized, cartoon illustration of two friendly female librarians working collaboratively with AI" prompt, DALL-E, version 3, OpenAI, 10 Dec. 2024, https://chat.openai.com/.

"3D render of a character in the style of The Muppets with a felt texture.  The character is a rocket scientist gonzo with gnarly long red hair, green eyes and toothless with glasses.  He is wearing a checkered pants with a pencil pocket protector full of pencils," prompt, Microsoft Designer, 27 Sept. 2024, https://designer.microsoft.com/ 

Academic Honesty

Try this short tutorial if you want to know more information about why we cite.   

How Library Stuff Works - MLA Citations

Citation Generators

Check out these websites to help with creating your citations. Always double check against our style guides!

Citation Machine
A citation generator for MLA, APA, Turabian and Chicago styles

KnightCite
A citation generator created by the Hekman Library of Calvin College.  It assists with creating citations in MLA, APA and Chicago for all types of resources.  You have the option to register for additional features such as saving and exporting citations.  

NoodleTools
NoodleBib Express quickly creates citations in MLA or APA.  You can also register for a NoodleBib MLA Starter account for additional feature such as the ability to save citations and format a works cited page. 

Zotero
A Firefox extension that helps with the collection, management and citation of sources (for Firefox only)

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