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Digital Media & Journalism Subject Guide

Official Chicago Citation Style Guide Manual:

Helpful Chicago Style Guides 18th Edition:

Helpful Chicago Style Guides 17th Edition:

Citing Generative AI in Chicago 18th Edition

Last updated July 23, 2025

Please check with your professor to know whether generative AI is allowed for the assignment. This information can be found in your course syllabus. 

All citation styles require you to cite generative AI when it is used in your research or writing. Below are some guidelines and examples:

Chicago Author-Date Citations

Chicago Author-Date considers the tool as the author, and the date the content was generated should be used as the date. Additionally, it's important to state how the tool was used; a summary is ok in the case of a longer conversation. 

General format: Response to "prompt," publisher/developer, date when content was generated, URL.

 

Examples:
The following explanation for rising ocean acidification levels was generated on July 16, 2025 by ChatGPT-4o.
One explanation for rising ocean acidification levels is as follow (ChatGPT-4o, July 16, 2025).

 

Notes & Bibliography (footnotes & endnotes)

If the prompt is not included in the text, in needs to be included in a footnote/endnote; a summary is ok in the case of a longer conversation.

General format for a footnote/endnote: Text generated by name of tool, publisher/developer, date, URL.

  • Name of tool: name of software used.
  • Publisher/developer: the publisher/developer of the tool (ex: OpenAI).
  • Date: the date the content was generated.
  • URL: a publicly available URL. You can create this using the share button available with many generative AI tools.

 

Examples:
1. Text generated by ChatGPT-4o, OpenAI, July 16, 2025, https://chatgpt.com/share/68795492-078c-8006-ac76-79dd427a8532.
2. Text generated by Perplexity, Perplexity AI, May 24, 2025, https://www.perplexity.ai/search/what-version-of-perplexity-is-b4kae9aKSeCc46JWytawLg#0. 

 

Bibliography

The official stance of the CMOS is that generative AI is not usually listed in a bibliography. However, it is likely your professors will expect you to cite it. Please refer to your syllabus for individual course policies. 

Color-coded graphic showing the different components of a CMOS AI citation

General format: Publisher/developer. Response to "prompt." AI model and version, date, URL. 

  • Publisher/developer: the publisher/developer of the tool (ex: OpenAI).
  • Response to "prompt": (ex: Response to "Explain the science of fire ecology.").
  • AI model and version: use the version of the tool as listed by the author/developer. Chat tools based on ChatGPT use the month and day accessed as the version (ex: July 14 version). Other chat tools may use a different naming system (ex: v4.0.0).
  • Date: the date the content was generated.
  • URL: a publicly available URL. You can create this using the share button available with many generative AI tools.

 

Examples:

OpenAI. Response to "Explain the rising acidification levels of the world's oceans." ChatGPT-4o, July 16, 2025. https://chatgpt.com/share/68795492-078c-8006-ac76-79dd427a8532. 

Perplexity AI. Response to "Can you list the major harms of rainforest deforestation?" v4.0.0, July 16, 2025. https://www.perplexity.ai/search/can-you-list-the-major-harms-o-EslYpEabQ.KRy9ivJhcstw. 

 

Examples adapted from CMOS guide: https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/book/ed18/part3/ch14/psec112.html

The author-date format is most popular in the physical, natural, and social sciences, whereas researchers in literary, historical, and artistic fields mostly use note-based styles. For the note-based variants, the notes can either be self-explanatory and come with or without a bibliography (full note), or serve as a reference to a bibliographic entry (note).

  • Chicago Manual of Style 17th edition (author-date)
    • in-text citation: (Adams 2002, 12)
    • bibliographic entry: Adams, Douglas. 2002. The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. New York: Del Rey.
  • Chicago Manual of Style 17th edition (full note)
    • note: Douglas Adams, The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (New York: Del Rey, 2002), 12.
    • bibliographic entry: Adams, Douglas. The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. New York: Del Rey, 2002.
  • Chicago Manual of Style 17th edition (note)
    • note: Adams, The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, 12.
    • bibliographic entry: Adams, Douglas. The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. New York: Del Rey, 2002.

Citation Software

The library supports Zotero which is designed to help you create, organize, and write citations. Below are the pros and cons.


 

Zotero: A tool for many citation styles. Able to capture information quickly from web pages, online catalogs, webpages, etc.

          Pros:
               + Many citation styles
               + Easy to import citations
               + Easy to organize
               + Can add a .pdf attachment with citations
               + Works seamlessly with add-ons to create in-text citations and a bibliography for:
                    *Microsoft Office
                    *Google Docs
                    *LibreOffice
               + Option to add a note with a citation

          Cons:
               - Internet Connection Required

 

 

Zoterobib: This online tool builds a bibliography instantly from any computer or device, without creating an account or installing any software.

          Pros:
               + Many citation styles
               + Very easy to use - no software to learn
               + Easy to import citations
               + Can create bibliography fully within your browser; option to generate a link to return later
               + Includes tools for creating parenthetical citations, footnotes, and endnotes

          Cons:
               - Internet connection required
               - Might lose your work if you close your browser while using Chrome's incognito mode
 

  • Many citation styles
  • Easy to import citations
  • Fairly accurate citations
  • Easy to Organize
  • Can add a .pdf attachment with the citation (virtual filing cabinet)
  • Microsoft Office Add-on for creating in-text citations and a bibliography
  • Option to add a note with a citation (this might be an option for documenting your annotations)
  • Operates within Firefox web browser
  • Internet Connection Required

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