Citing and Referencing ChatGPT
in APA Style
I have used ChatGPT
recently to explore psychological concepts. The quality of responses varies. I
have also asked for APA style references. The format was fine, but I was unable
to verify some of the references, which caused me some concern about the
accuracy of the generated text.
I looked at the APA
guidelines for referencing ChatGPT (McAdoo, 2023). One concern I have about the
APA guideline is the sharing of authorship. That is, although ChatGPT generated
the response, the response involved my collaboration in formulating a precise
prompt. The better the prompt, the better the response as if two humans were
writing a paper together.
When I entered the
prompt “How do psychologists define forgiveness?” ChatGPT provided the
response below.
Psychologists define forgiveness as a conscious and deliberate decision
to release feelings of resentment or vengeance towards a person or group who
has harmed you, despite the fact that they may not deserve it. Forgiveness does
not necessarily mean forgetting or condoning the actions of the person who
caused harm, nor does it imply reconciliation or re-establishment of trust.
Rather, forgiveness involves a process of letting go of negative emotions, such
as anger, bitterness, and hostility, and replacing them with positive emotions,
such as empathy, compassion, and understanding. (OpenAI, 2023)
Reference
OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (April 12
version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat
APA recommended placing
the full ChatGPT in an appendix because the information is not available to the
reader and the text can change in response to a future prompt. In the quote
above, I omitted the opinion in the final sentence, which was not directly related
to my quest for a definition. In a paper, I would provide the complete text in
an Appendix.
Appendix A
Psychologists
define forgiveness as a conscious and deliberate decision to release feelings
of resentment or vengeance towards a person or group who has harmed you,
despite the fact that they may not deserve it. Forgiveness does not necessarily
mean forgetting or condoning the actions of the person who caused harm, nor
does it imply reconciliation or re-establishment of trust. Rather, forgiveness
involves a process of letting go of negative emotions, such as anger,
bitterness, and hostility, and replacing them with positive emotions, such as
empathy, compassion, and understanding. This process can be beneficial for both
the person who forgives and the person who is forgiven, as it can lead to
emotional healing, improved mental health, and better relationships. (OpenAI,
2023).
Reference
McAdoo, T. (2023, April7). How to cite
ChatGPT. APA style. Retrieved from How to cite ChatGPT
(apa.org)
How to cite this post.
Sutton, G. W. (2023, April 12). Citing and referencing ChatGPT-APA style. Assessment, Statistics, and Research. Retrieved from https://statistics.suttong.com/2023/04/citing-and-referencing-chatgpt-apa-style.html
I am open to corrections
and suggestions.
Post Author
Geoffrey W. Sutton PhD is Emeritus Professor of Psychology who publishes book and articles about clinical and social psychology including the psychology of religion. Website: www.suttong.com
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