Connect with our knowledgeable library staff at libraryai@virginia.edu for guidance, resources, and assistance as you explore Generative AI.
Working with generative AI presents unique challenges due to its dynamic and ever-changing nature. Unlike traditional sources, generative AI content is constantly evolving, which makes replicating queries, responses, and results difficult. This constant change highlights the importance of thoroughly documenting your use of generative AI in your research, including not only citations but also maintaining a record of the specific queries and responses you've used.
To overcome these challenges and ensure the accuracy and replicability of your work, it's crucial to save and archive all relevant information related to your generative AI interactions. This includes storing your initial queries, AI-generated responses, and any other contextual details that could help demonstrate your use of generative AI. This ensures transparency in the research process and, paired with citations, maintains the integrity of your research and supports your findings in the face of AI's inherent unpredictability.
For additional information and support related to:
the Office of the Vice President of Research has a "Reminder of the Importance of Research Integrity & Use of AI."
These recommendations from Wellesley College Library's Citing Generative AI is a great recommendation
Elements to Save when Using AI Tools
Regardless of the citation style or system of references you are using, you will need:
Tool name and version (e.g., ChatGPT 4.0)
Time and date of usage
Prompt or query
Output from generative AI tool (as a document, image, or webpage, if the tool does not allow for stable links)
Follow up queries and responses
Name of person who queried
These tools are part of the recommendations from Linking to AI output from the MIT Libraries
A.I. Archives is a Google Chrome browser extension that generates unique URLs for conversations with ChatGPT, Bard, or Claude, and lets users share their conversations publicly on the A.I. Archives website. A.I. Archives links contain the tool name, query, date of query, unique ID for archived document, and profile photo or initial of person who queried.
The Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine’s “Save Page Now” feature allows users to publicly archive webpages using their URLs. As of October 2023, the Wayback Machine can save ChatGPT conversations using the sharing links it generates, even if a user deletes their original ChatGPT conversation.
Perma.cc preserves the content of web pages as they existed at the time the Perma.cc link was created. Perma.cc makes a copy of the target web page, deposits it into the Perma.cc collection, and returns a unique, citable URL that points to the preserved record. As of February 2024, Perma.cc is able to successfully save the content of ChatGPT conversations using the shareable links provided by ChatGPT, even if the original conversation was later deleted by a user.
Given the ongoing development of academic rules and regulations surrounding AI, it's crucial to engage in open dialogue with various stakeholders, including editors and publishers, to ensure you are aware of any specific expectations regarding the proper documentation of AI usage. By staying informed and adaptable, you can navigate the changing landscape of AI citations and maintain academic integrity in your work. You can find more information about publisher policies for prospective authors on the Publishing with AI page.
Regardless of the constantly shifting generative AI environment, citations remain a critical part of documenting the research process. Each citation style maintains guidelines for in-text citations and references for AI generated work. Following are resources for a few commonly used citation styles. For more information, the Excelsior Online Writing Lab and Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) both maintain up to date resources on citing sources.
MLA (Modern Language Association)
MLA focuses on the core elements of the information you are citing in line with template of core elements. The MLA Style Center has detailed information and examples on how to cite AI generated content.
APA (American Psychological Association)
Citations for AI generated content should be treated as you would treat other algorithms by crediting the tool that created the information in the reference list and in-text citations. APA Journals For examples and more information on ChatGPT specifically, see the APA Style Blog post on the subject by Timothy McAdoo.
Chicago Manual of Style
AI generated content should be credited in your work by noting your use of the tool in-text. Examples of endnote citations can be found in The Chicago Manual of Style Online.