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MASS Program - Library Literacy: Cite Sources

This guide is for MASS students, to help them improve their information and library literacy in order to successfully pursue a taught master's course in social sciences

What is a Citation?

What is a citation? Watch this ~ 3min video and see!

How to Cite?

If, for example, you want to cite this article in your paper to support your ideas, (or critique the ideas in the article), you should:

  1. Make an in-text reference within your writing:
     
    .. creating an environment where people feel "psychologically safe" in work teams helps make those teams more effective. (Duhigg, 2016), ...

     
  2. Include complete details about the article in the references section at the end of your paper:
     
    Duhigg, Charles. 2016. What Google Learned From Its Quest to Build the Perfect Team. The New York Times. Electronic document, http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/28/magazine/what-google-learned-from-its-quest-to-build-the-perfect-team.html

 

What about indirect sources?

For example, you read about Smith's idea (or research findings) in Nicholson's paper and you did not read Smith's article yourself. In this case, you CANNOT cite a source that you have not read, so you need to indicate that the information is obtained from a secondary source:

  1. List the source you have read (Nicholson's paper) in the reference list, and
  2. Make an in-text citation such as
    • Smith's survey (as cited in Nicholson, 2003) showed ...
    • According to Nicholson (2003), Smith's survey says ...

What about personal communications?

Personal communications may be private letters, memo, electronic communications (e.g. e-mail), personal interviews, telephone communications, etc. Because they are not considered recoverable data, so personal communications are not required in the reference list, but you have to cite personal communications within the text. Give the initials, follow by the surname of the communicator, and provide the exact date as possible.

In-text Reference = (T.W. Lau, personal communication, September 2, 2012)

 

Cite What You Read or Watch or Listen to

In academic writing, you need to cite (make a reference) to texts, videos, etc. that you use as evidence.

  • Even if the paper you are referring to is listed in your class syllabus, you must cite it.
  • Even if it's something you found on the web, you must cite it.

Some Reasons Why Scholars Cite  1

  1. To persuade ("...persuasion by argument, buttressed by support from authoritative papers in the field") . 2
  2. To embody concepts or methods (rather than describing how to determine a protein, I cite the paper that tells you this, and move with my own addition to knowledge).
  3. To provide credibility (they allow the reader to check the evidence and chain of logic themselves).
  4. To give credit for ideas and show the reader where to go for a further elaboration
 
2. Ibid. p. 389
 

Note: You need to cite sources in your writing if you use someone else's ideas, data, methodologies, illustrations, etc.; it does not matter what format they are in.

Citation Styles

Citation Styles

  • There are several common citation styles (standard formats for listing references). Style varies across disciplines. Ask your instructor which style s/he prefers.
     
  • In general, references of periodical articles should have these elements:
    • Author(s) - who wrote it
    • Title - what the article is called
    • Source - title of the periodical or larger work it appeared in
    • Volume & Issue numbers
    • Publication date
    • Page numbers

A Guide to Good Referencing

Use the Guide to Good Referencing is here: https://libguides.hkust.edu.hk/referencing

Citing AI in APA style

APA style

Guideline from APA:

Suggested practices:

1. Cite AI-generated text
  • cite the content as software or algorithm's output (rather than personal communication as there's no actual person communicating)
  • describe how you used ChatGPT or other AI models in the Method or Introduction of your work
  • include the prompt used and any relevant generated text in your paper
  • for long responses, consider including them in an appendix


Example:

Conversation with an AI model In-text citation & Reference list

 

In-text citation

"ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, focuses on generating human-like text based on extensive internet-trained data, while Claude, developed by Anthropic, emphasizes safety and alignment through constitutional AI principles, aiming to reduce harmful outputs by adhering to a set of predefined ethical guidelines." (OpenAI, 2024)

Reference list

OpenAI. (2024). GPT-4o [Large language model]. https://poe.com/GPT-4o

 

2. Cite AI model (e.g. ChatGPT, Claude)
  • cite the model or tool as software


Examples:

Reference list

OpenAI. (2024). GPT-4o [Large language model]. https://poe.com/GPT-4o

Anthropic. (2024). Claude-3.5-Sonnet [Large language model]. https://poe.com/Claude-3.5-Sonnet

Perplexity. (2024). Perplexity.ai [Large language model]. https://www.perplexity.ai/

OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 14 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat

Citing AI in MLA style

MLA style

Guideline from MLA:

General advice:

  • Cite generative AI tools whenever you paraphrase, quote, or incorporate into your own work any content (text, image, data, or other)
  • Acknowledge functional uses (e.g. editing, translating) in a note or your text.
  • Examine secondary sources cited by AI tools carefully.

Format & Examples:

  • Use MLA's template for flexibility in citations, adapting as needed.
Conversation with an AI model In-text citation & Reference list

 

Format: 

In-text citation:
(“Shortened text of prompt”)

Reference list: 
“Prompt you used in quotation marks” prompt, Name of AI tool, version, Creator/Developer, Creation date, URL

Examples:

In-text citation - Paraphrased:

ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini represent distinct approaches in AI development. While ChatGPT offers versatile task assistance, Claude prioritizes ethical interactions, and Gemini focuses on integrating multiple AI capabilities beyond text (“Describe the key differences”).
 

In-text citation - Direct quote:

When asked to describe the key differences between ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, AI provided a concise comparison: “ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, is a versatile conversational AI known for its ability to assist with a wide range of tasks, from answering questions to generating creative content.” In contrast, “Claude, created by Anthropic, focuses on ethical AI interactions, prioritizing safety and alignment to minimize harmful outputs.” The response also noted that “Gemini, from Google DeepMind, integrates language models with AI capabilities beyond text, such as visual understanding” (“Describe the key differences”).
 

Reference list

“Describe the differences between ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini in 1-2 paragraphs” prompt. GPT-4o, OpenAI, 14 Aug. 2024, https://poe.com/s/FmlTbR3Kk0NQdqMp3VKz

Citing AI in Chicago style

Chicago style

Guideline from Chicago:

General advice:

  • Credit tools when using generated text, e.g. "The following was generated by XXX model or tool". 
  • Treat conversation as personal communication (see CMOS 14.214 and 15.53).
  • Indicate in the text or at the end of the note if AI-generated text is edited (e.g. “edited for style and content”).
  • Do not cite the tool in reference list unless a public URL is available; include the non-sharable chat in Appendix instead. 

Format for a formal citation & Examples:

  • In-text citation: 
Author-date system: 
(XXX tool, Date)

Footnote or endnote: 
- for sharable content:  Text generated by XXX tool, Date, Creator/Developer, URL. 
- for non-sharable content:  Text generated by XXX tool, Date, Creator/Developer, see Appendix for prompt used and output generated.

Example: 
(GPT-4o, August 12, 2024)
Text generated by GPT-4o, August 12, 2024, OpenAI, https://poe.com/s/HSFEiB1gPIL3Y0Jjc24R
  • Reference list (when public URL is available):
Note number. Text generated by XXX tool, Date, Creator/Developer, URL.

Example: 
1. Text generated by GPT-4o, August 12, 2024, OpenAI, https://poe.com/s/HSFEiB1gPIL3Y0Jjc24R

 

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