ES 212 Entrepreneurial Business Basics: Citing Your Work

Kresge Library does not have direct export databases for Market or Analyst Reports. However, you can manually create a record using the following key fields:

• Under References in the Menu, click on Add New Reference - make sure you fill in the following fields:
• "In Folder(s)", select appropriate folder(s) (if needed)
• Ref Type - select "Report"
• Source Type - select "Electronic"
• Authors - First author listed last name first; all others first name first
• Title - use as much as you can from the document
• Pub Year - use year
• Pub Date Free Form - use the full date listed on the document as it is presented
• Publisher - name of the firm
• Place of Publication - city of the firm. Use first listed if multiple locations are given
• Data Source - use the name of the resource (same as from Kresge's A-Z list if applicable)
• Retrieved Date - use the date that you downloaded the information.
• Other fields may be left blank

The MLA’s method for citing sources uses a template of core elements—standardized criteria that writers can use to evaluate sources and create works-cited-list entries based on that evaluation. That new technologies like ChatGPT emerge is a key reason why the MLA has adopted this approach to citation—to give writers flexibility to apply the style when they encounter new types of sources. In what follows, we offer recommendations for citing generative AI, defined as a tool that “can analyze or summarize content from a huge set of information, including web pages, books and other writing available on the internet,and use that data to create original new content” (Weed). 

You should

• cite a generative AI tool whenever you paraphrase, quote, or incorporate into your own work any content (whether text, image, data, or other) that was created by it 
• acknowledge all functional uses of the tool (like editing your prose or translating words) in a note, your text, or another suitable location 
• take care to vet the secondary sources it cites (see example 5 below for more details)

See below for specific examples. And keep in mind: the MLA template of core elements is meant to provide flexibility in citation. So if you find a rationale to modify these recommendations in your own citations, we encourage you to do so. We’ve opened this post up for commenting, so let us know what you think and how you’re using and citing generative AI tools!

Using the MLA Template

Author

We do not recommend treating the AI tool as an author. This recommendation follows the policies developed by various publishers, including the MLA’s journal PMLA. 

Title of Source

Describe what was generated by the AI tool. This may involve including information about the prompt in the Title of Source element if you have not done so in the text. 

Title of Container

Use the Title of Container element to name the AI tool (e.g., ChatGPT).

Version

Name the version of the AI tool as specifically as possible. For example, the examples in this post were developed using ChatGPT 3.5, which assigns a specific date to the version, so the Version element shows this version date.

Publisher

Name the company that made the tool.

Date

Give the date the content was generated.

Location

Give the general URL for the tool.¹

For more information and examples: MLA Style Center - How do I cite generative AI?

Business Resource Citation Guides

Harvard Business School Citation Guide

• An excellent resource from the Baker Library at Harvard Business School
• Includes citation guidelines for nearly every type of information resource, especially internet and news resources

Citing Business Databases in APA Style 

• From the University of North Carolina, Greensboro
• Useful guide that includes examples of citing major business databases in the APA style

Style Citation Guides

U-M Library Citation Help Research Guide 

• Covers how to cite in APA, MLA  and a variety of other styles
• Includes information on citing Government Documents and Data Sets

OWL Purdue Online Writing Lab 

• Purdue's comprehensive citation pages from the online writing lab  includes details on MLA, APA style and citation samples