Cite a ChatGPT conversation in Harvard
ChatGPT and other AI conversation citations are new enough that Harvard (Cite Them Right 12) is still settling on a format. The current consensus is to treat the AI as the author, the version (e.g., GPT-4) as the year, and the prompt as the title, with a stable share URL if one exists.
Harvard rules for a ChatGPT conversation
- Treat the AI as the author: OpenAI for ChatGPT, Anthropic for Claude, Google for Gemini.
- Use the model version (e.g., GPT-4, Claude 3.5 Sonnet) as part of the title.
- The prompt you used appears in the title or in square brackets as a description.
- Use the date of the conversation, not the model's release date.
- Include a share URL if one is available; otherwise note that the output is unreproducible.
- Cite as 'OpenAI (Year) ChatGPT (Version) [Large language model], Available at: URL'.
Worked example
Harvard · ChatGPT conversationA real ChatGPT conversation formatted using the Harvard rules above.
OpenAI (2024) Explain the difference between APA 7 and MLA 9 [Large language model]. [Online] ChatGPT (GPT-4). Available at: https://chat.openai.com/share/example-share-id (accessed January 15, 2025).
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