How AI is Changing the Face of Authorship.
AI as a Co-Author, How and Who and Giving Credit Where Credit is Due.
As an editor, I’m often the go-to person for people seeking guidance on professional editing and writing rules. It’s a complex job with lots of guidelines to follow, but I relish the research and learning that every project brings. After all, there’s always something new to discover in the ever-evolving world of editing and publishing.
My go-to resource is The Chicago Manual of Style. Because The Chicago Manual of Style is the most widely used style and usage guide by academics and publishers in the US.
So when I was recently asked: “Do I have to cite the content generated by ChatGPT, is even necessary to do so?”
Well, with a bit of research, this is what The Chicago Manual of Style has to say about citing content generated by ChatGPT and similar AI tools.
YES, you do need to credit ChatGPT whenever you use the text it generates in your own work.
But don’t worry; for most types of writing, acknowledging the AI tool in your text is enough. For example, if you use ChatGPT to generate a recipe for pizza dough, you can simply say, “The following recipe for pizza dough was generated by ChatGPT.”
However, if you need a more formal citation (such as for a student paper or research article), you can use a numbered footnote or endnote. Here’s an example of what that might look like:
- Text generated by ChatGPT, March 7, 2023, OpenAI, https://chat.openai.com/chat.
In this example, ChatGPT is listed as the author of the content, and the date is the date the text was generated. OpenAI (the organization that developed ChatGPT) is then listed as the publisher or sponsor of the content. The URL is not an essential element of the citation since readers can’t access the cited content through the URL.
If you’re using author-date instead of notes, you can place any information not in the text in a parenthetical text reference. For example, “(ChatGPT, March 7, 2023).”
It’s important to note that you don’t need to cite ChatGPT in a bibliography or reference list. While OpenAI does assign unique URLs to conversations generated from your prompts, those URLs can’t be used by others to access the same content (they require your login credentials). This makes a ChatGPT conversation similar to an email, phone call, or text message, which are considered personal communication.
To summarize, if you use text generated by ChatGPT in your own work, you must credit ChatGPT. However, this information should be put in the text or in a note, not in a bibliography or reference list. Other AI-generated text can be cited similarly.
Now, let’s dive a bit deeper into the use of AI in publishing and the responsibilities of authors. The Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) has recently issued a statement regarding authorship and the use of AI tools in research. The statement emphasizes the importance of transparency and accountability in the use of such tools and urges authors to clearly describe the role of AI in their research. COPE also recommends that authors provide information on how the data used by AI was collected and curated, as well as how the AI was trained and validated. This will ensure that readers and reviewers are fully informed.
Based on the COPE position statement on authorship and AI tools, it is not necessary to credit AI as a co-author if it is used to write a book or other written material. However, it is important to clearly acknowledge the role of AI in the research or writing process and to provide sufficient information about the use of AI so that readers and reviewers can understand its contribution. Ultimately, the decision on whether to credit AI as a co-author will depend on the specific circumstances of the project and the policies of the publisher or institution involved. It is recommended to consult with relevant parties, such as editors or legal advisors, for guidance on the appropriate attribution of AI in your specific case.
As AI continues to play a larger role in content creation, it’s important for writers and publishers to understand how to properly cite AI-generated content. While the guidelines may seem daunting at first, they’re ultimately in place to ensure proper attribution and give credit where credit is due.
Now you know why I keep my copy of The Chicago Manual of Style front and center on my desktop.
