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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

Guidelines from APA

Key points  (Aug 2025)

  1. AI cannot be an author. 
  2. Any use of AI must be fully disclosed in the manuscript or course work. (See "Where & how to disclose" below)
  3. AI must not be used to fabricate or falsify data. 
  4. AI-generated images or figures must be disclosed and used with proper rights.
  5. Authors are responsible for verifying the accuracy and originality of AI-generated content. 
  6. Human oversight is required at all stages of research and writing.

 

Where & How to Disclose 

AI Use Where & How to Disclose
Generate content (e.g. manuscript drafts, literature summaries)

In the Introduction section  
Include AI tools, prompts, and keywords used (preserve output if needed)
Translate or copyedit text

In a general author note 
Mention the AI tool used
Create or refine code; analyze, format, or visualize data; edit research methods/results

In the Method section 
Include the AI tool, usage details, and preserve outputs
Create or edit figures, tables, or images

In the section where visual content appears (e.g. Results) 
Include prompts, tools, and preserve output

Check more details here.

Suggested Practices

1. Cite an AI chat

Format:

AI Company Name. (year, month day). Title of chat in italics [Description, such as Generative AI chat]. Tool Name/Model. URL of the chat

In-text citation: 
(AI Company Name, year)
AI Company Name (year)


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, 2025)

Reference list

OpenAI. (2025, Oct 9). Differences between ChatGPT and Claude [Generative AI chat]. GPT-4o. https://poe.com/s/Q6CfwbdwTMVAtNY1HUcY

 

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

Format:

AI Company Name. (year). Tool Name/Model in Italics and Title Case [Description; e.g., Large language model]. URL of the tool

In-text citation: 
(AI Company Name, year)
AI Company Name (year)



Examples:

Reference list

OpenAI. (2025). GPT-5 [Large language model]. https://poe.com/GPT-5

Anthropic. (2025). Claude-Sonnet-4.5 [Large language model]. https://poe.com/Claude-Sonnet-4.5

Perplexity AI. (2025). Perplexity [Large language model]. https://www.perplexity.ai/

Google. (2025). Gemini-2.5-Pro [Large language model]. https://poe.com/Gemini-2.5-Pro

 

In-text citations:

(OpenAI, 2025; Anthropic, 2025; Perplexity AI, 2025; Google, 2025)

OpenAI (2025), Anthropic (2025), Perplexity AI (2025), Google (2025)

Learn more details: https://apastyle.apa.org/blog/cite-generative-ai-references 

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 & 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

 

LibGuide content by HKUST Library is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, unless otherwise noted.