MLA's position is that the AI tool is not the author. You build the entry from the MLA template, with a description of what the tool produced in the title position and the tool as the container. The MLA Style Center updated this guidance in August 2025, so older examples online may differ.
The MLA Style Center says: “We do not recommend treating the AI tool as an author.” The entry therefore starts with the prompt or a description of the output. Purdue's library guide sums up the format:
"Description or text of prompt" prompt. AI Tool, model/version, Company, Day Month Year, Shareable URL.
A hypothetical entry: "Explain the difference between a mediator and a moderator" prompt. ChatGPT, model [model name], OpenAI, 7 Oct. 2026, [shareable URL]. Put the name of the tool in italics.
On the version, MLA asks you to “Name the specific AI model or model version as specifically as possible.” Check the tool's interface when you save the chat, because the model can change later.
| MLA element | What to put there |
|---|---|
| Author | Leave it out |
| Title of source | A description of what the tool generated, often the prompt |
| Title of container | The name of the tool |
| Version | The model or model version |
| Publisher | The company that made the tool |
| Date | The date the content was generated |
| Location | A stable, shareable URL; if the tool has none, the tool's general URL |
Use a short form of the prompt in parentheses, in quotes, the way MLA treats a source with no author. For the entry above: ("Explain the difference"). If you name the tool and the prompt in your sentence, check that a reader can still find the matching entry.
MLA treats quoted or adapted output differently from other uses. Duke's library guide summarizes the advice for functional uses, such as changing your wording or translating: acknowledge them in a note or in your text. MLA also refers you to a separate post: “To acknowledge more substantive uses of AI in your work that go beyond citation, see our post on acknowledging AI and the limits of citation”. In practice:
| What you did | What MLA points you to |
|---|---|
| You quote the tool's output | In-text citation and a works-cited entry |
| You put its content in your own words | In-text citation and a works-cited entry |
| You used it to change your wording or to translate | An acknowledgment in a note or in your text |
| It named a source you then rely on | Go to that source, read it, and cite it directly |
Esmond evaluates every assignment before you submit. It never writes it.
Esmond looks at how you use sources in your argument. For the citation format, the MLA Style Center and your instructor have the final say. Esmond doesn't open the sources you cite, so finding and reading them stays with you.
MLA puts information about the prompt in the title element if your text doesn't already give it, and it accepts a more general description.
MLA asks for a stable, shareable URL when the tool provides one, and the tool's general URL when it doesn't.
The same template applies, with a description of the image in the title position. MLA's post includes examples.
MLA's concern is content you use in your work. For help with ideas, ask your advisor whether a note or statement is expected.
Read on November 3, 2026.
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