How to Properly Cite AI in MLA Format

心海李

Jan 09, 2026

ai-check

Integrating AI tools into academic writing is increasingly common, but understanding how to properly cite AI sources is essential to maintain academic integrity and avoid AI plagiarism. Citing AI demonstrates the intellectual path behind your arguments and helps readers trace the sources of your content. While citation rules are still evolving, major style guides such as MLA provide practical guidance. This article explores when and how to cite AI-generated material, including text and images, in MLA format.

Understanding AI Citation

Citing AI begins with understanding your institution's policies on generative AI tools. Policies vary widely, so it is crucial to check your course or department guidelines. As a general rule, when in doubt, always cite AI use. Transparency is valued by academic communities. As Kimberly Munko, Adjunct Faculty at South College, emphasizes, “If you used AI for tasks like grammar assistance, you should include an AI disclosure even if it’s undetectable. Being open builds trust.” Two fundamental principles apply universally: always cite AI outputs when used directly and verify that generated content does not include fabricated references, also known as hallucinations.

Why Citing AI Matters

Citations provide clarity and maintain honesty in your work. They allow readers to follow your thought process and validate sources. Disclosure of AI use aligns with academic integrity standards, especially in graduate-level work where expectations are higher. Being transparent about AI-assisted editing, brainstorming, translation, or formatting supports emerging best practices and reinforces trust between students and instructors.

When to Cite AI in MLA Format

In MLA, AI should be cited whenever its output contributes to your work in a visible way. This includes text, paraphrased ideas, images, or data. AI assistance behind the scenes, such as translation or editing, should also be acknowledged even if it does not appear in the Works Cited list. MLA treats AI-generated content as a source without a human author, relying instead on descriptive prompts to identify the source.

General MLA Format for AI Text

The standard MLA reference structure for AI-generated text is as follows:

“Description of the generated content” prompt. Title of AI Tool, Version, Publisher, Date generated, URL.

Example Citations

Judicial Appointments (ChatGPT)

“Summary of judicial appointment methods” prompt. ChatGPT, GPT-3.5, OpenAI, 8 Feb. 2025, chat.openai.com/g/38239493.

Coral Reefs (Claude)

“Explanation of how coral reefs reduce storm impact” prompt. Claude, 3.2, Anthropic, 8 Feb. 2025, claude.ai/coral-reefs.

Forgiveness Ethics (Gemini)

“Overview of ethical arguments about forgiveness” prompt. Gemini, version 2.0, Google, 8 Feb. 2025, gemini.google.com/app/c6f3e8ab96872b.

Parenthetical Citations in MLA

Because AI outputs have no author, in-text citations use the short description from your Works Cited entry. No page numbers or author names are required. Consistency between the in-text citation and the Works Cited entry is essential for clarity.

Citing AI-Generated Images

For AI-generated images, MLA treats the user as the creator and the AI tool as the method of creation. Citations focus on the prompt, tool, version, and date.

Image Caption Example

Fig. 1. AI-generated image of a coral reef acting as a natural storm barrier, created using DALL·E on 8 Feb. 2025.

Works Cited Example for Images

“Coral reef storm-barrier illustration” prompt. DALL·E, version 3, OpenAI, 8 Feb. 2025. AI-generated image.

Conclusion

Citing AI in MLA format is a repeatable and transparent process. By clearly describing AI contributions and including proper metadata, writers uphold academic integrity and provide readers with the context needed to evaluate sources. When in doubt, cite AI use to maintain clarity and trust.