EGS 390K: Writing with AI & Digital Tools (Dich): How to Cite Sources and How to Make Sure You Have Good Information

From the MLA Style Center:

You should:

• cite a generative AI tool whenever you paraphrase, quote, or incorporate into your own work any content (whether text, image, data, or other) that was created by it 
• acknowledge all functional uses of the tool (like editing your prose or translating words) in a note, your text, or another suitable location 
• take care to vet the secondary sources it cites

Description of what was generated by the AI tool. Name of AI Tool, version, Publisher, Date generated, URL of the tool.

Example:

In text:

While the green light in The Great Gatsby might be said to chiefly symbolize four main things: optimism, the unattainability of the American dream, greed, and covetousness (“Describe the symbolism”), arguably the most important—the one that ties all four themes together—is greed.

Works Cited:

“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, chat.openai.com/chat.

MLA

Watch Video: MLA Citation Style for a quick introduction to MLA citations.

See the MLA Citation Style Guide for an excellent list of sample citations and guidance on doing in-text citations.

Consult the Purdue OWL Writing Lab MLA Formatting and Style Guide for an overview of how the MLA style works, both in writing your paper and in creating citations.

If you are interested in using a citation manager to gather your research source citations and format them as needed, see our Citation Managers guide.

You may also see the Citing Sources page of the library site for a number of useful links and tips for information on how cite your sources and also some tools that will help you do so. And whatever you do, don't forget the ability to email yourself an APA, MLA, or Chicago citation from Articles & More and other databases. If you don't know how to do this, just ask me!

Quickly build a citation in the citation style you need to add to your bibliography/source list:

Citefast - free citation generator

ZoteroBib - build a bibliography instantly from any computer or device, without creating an account or installing any software.

Citation Builder - free citation generator from North Carolina State University Libraries

Avoiding Plagiarism

Here are some helpful tips on identifying and avoiding plagiarism:

Here are some tips on preventing plagiarism when writing 

And, one more video on synthesizing information where you bring together your thoughts and the information you learn from other sources into your paper (citing where needed).

Avoiding Plagiarism: What Do I Need to Cite? 

Don't Just Trust What You Find - Verify!

How can you be sure that the information you find through Google or the library is going to be useful for your assignment? Use the SIFT steps below  (Stop, Investigate, Find, Trace) to make sure your source is on track. You can also consult our Avoiding Bad or Fake News guide.

Web accessible version

*Design layout for SIFT based on shared image from the University of Oregon