Q. What should I know about citing generative AI if I use it to edit my writing?

APA Style generally recommends that you provide a citation when writing with generative AI, which may include using AI tools "to edit, analyze, organize, or refine your own writing" (McAdoo et al., 2025a, Citing an AI Tool Generally section). If your instructor hasn't explicitly addressed this usage of generative AI in their course, please check with them first to find out whether they consider it acceptable, and to learn more about their expectations for citations and references when using AI tools.

APA Style doesn't expect you to provide a citation for commonly-used software, such as word processing programs, or spelling- or grammar-checking functions within that software. That guidance currently extends to commonly-used software which may have AI capabilities embedded, e.g., Copilot within Microsoft Word (McAdoo et al., 2025b); however, please follow your instructor's directions if they prefer that you disclose any use of AI-enabled tools within word processing software. If you are using AI to substantially revise the text of your paper, you may wish -- and/or your instructor may require you -- to include that information in a transparency statement or other description of AI use within your paper and cite the tool you used.  

If you use an AI tool to help you edit your own writing, it may make sense to provide a general reference to that tool rather than citing a specific chat. References to AI tools follow the typical author-date-title-source format, with the company's name in the author position: 

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

• Parenthetical citation: (AI Company Name, year)
• Narrative citation: AI Company Name (year)

Depending on what's appropriate for your assignment, you might explain how you used AI in your writing process in a transparency statement, or in a relevant section of the paper (e.g., Method). As the author of your work, you are ultimately responsible for its content, so please make sure that you check, verify, and cite any information that came from another source, including generative AI. 

Please see these posts from the APA Style blog to learn more about APA Style's current guidance on using and citing generative AI: 

• Citing generative AI in APA Style: Part 1—Reference formats 
• Citing generative AI in APA Style: Part 2—AI as a search engine and AI integrated into common software
• Citing generative AI in APA Style: Part 3—Is AI “allowed” in APA Style?

If you're a student at RRU, please visit You're a RRU student; what do you need to know about generative AI? for more information. 

References

McAdoo, T., Denneny, S., & Lee, C. (2025a, September 9). Citing generative AI in APA Style: Part 1--Reference formats. APA Style Blog. https://apastyle.apa.org/blog/cite-generative-ai-references  

McAdoo, T., Denneny, S., & Lee, C. (2025b, September 9). Citing generative AI in APA Style: Part 2--AI as a search engine and AI integrated into common software. APA Style Blog. https://apastyle.apa.org/blog/cite-generative-ai-search-software