To begin, it’s good to ask ChatGPT one thing that wants sources or citations. I’ve discovered it is higher to ask a query with an extended reply, so there’s extra “meat” for ChatGPT to chew on. 

Take into account that ChatGPT cannot present any info after January 2022 for GPT-3.5, April 2023 for GPT-4, and October 2023 for GPT-4o, and requests for info pre-internet (say, for a paper on Ronald Reagan’s presidency) could have far fewer obtainable sources.

Here is an instance of a immediate I wrote on a subject that I labored on quite a bit once I was in grad faculty:

Describe the educational theories of cognitivism, behaviorism, and constructivism

That is the place a little bit of immediate engineering is available in. A very good place to begin is with this question:

Please present sources for the earlier reply

I’ve discovered that this immediate typically supplies offline sources, books, papers, and so on. The issue with offline sources is you possibly can’t test their veracity. Nevertheless it’s a place to begin. A greater question is that this:

Please present URL sources

This immediate particularly tells ChatGPT that you really want clickable hyperlinks to sources. You may as well tweak this immediate by asking for a selected amount of sources, though your mileage may fluctuate when it comes to what number of you get again:

Please present 10 URL sources

In our subsequent step, we’ll see what we are able to do with these sources.

ChatGPT and most massive language mannequin AIs reply effectively to element and specificity. So when you’re asking for sources, you possibly can push for higher-quality sources. You may have to specify that you just want dependable and correct sources. Whereas this method will not essentially work, it could remind the AI to offer you extra helpful responses. For instance:

Please present me with respected sources to help my argument on… (regardless of the matter is you are )

You may as well inform ChatGPT the sorts of sources you need. For those who’re searching for scholarly articles, peer-reviewed journals, books, or authoritative web sites, point out these preferences explicitly. For instance:

Please suggest peer-reviewed journals that debate… (and right here, repeat what you mentioned earlier in your dialog)

When coping with summary ideas or theories, request that ChatGPT present a conceptual framework and real-world examples. Here is an instance:

Are you able to describe the rules of Vygotsky’s Social Growth Concept and supply real-world examples the place these rules have been utilized, together with sources for these examples?

This method offers you a theoretical clarification and sensible cases to hint the unique sources or case research.

One other thought is to make use of sources that do not have hyperlink rot (that’s, they’re now not on-line on the URL that ChatGPT may know). Watch out with this concept, although, as a result of ChatGPT would not learn about issues after January 2022 for GPT-3.5, April 2023 for GPT-4, and October 2023 for GPT-4o. So, whilst you could be tempted to make use of a immediate like this:

Please present me with sources revealed inside the previous 5 years.

As a substitute, think about using a immediate like this:

Please present sources revealed from 2019 by April 2023.

And, as all the time, do not assume that no matter output ChatGPT offers you is correct. It is nonetheless fairly doable the AI will utterly fabricate solutions, even to the purpose of constructing up the names of what seem to be educational journals. It is a fibber. It is a generally useful software, but additionally a fibber.

Preserve this golden rule in thoughts about ChatGPT-provided sources: ChatGPT is extra typically mistaken than proper.

Throughout the various instances I’ve requested ChatGPT for URL sources, roughly half are simply plain unhealthy hyperlinks. One other 25% or extra of the hyperlinks go to subjects utterly or considerably unrelated to the one you are attempting to supply. GPT-4 and GPT-4o are barely extra dependable, however not a lot.

For instance, I requested for sources on a backgrounder for the phrase “belief however confirm”, usually popularized by US President Ronald Reagan. I bought loads of sources again, however most did not exist. I bought some again that accurately took me to lively pages on the Reagan Presidential Library website, however the web page matter had nothing to do with the phrase.

I had higher luck with my studying idea query from step 1. There, I bought again offline texts from individuals I knew from my research who had labored on these theories. I additionally bought again URLs. However as soon as once more, solely about two in 10 labored or have been correct.

However do not despair. The concept is not to anticipate ChatGPT to supply sources you could instantly use. For those who as a substitute consider ChatGPT as a analysis assistant, it will provide you with some nice beginning locations. Use the names of the articles (which can be utterly faux or simply not accessible) and drop them into Google. That course of will provide you with some fascinating search queries that in all probability result in fascinating materials that may legitimately go into your analysis.

Additionally, remember that you are not restricted to utilizing ChatGPT. Simply because ChatGPT exists does not imply you need to overlook all of the instruments obtainable to researchers and college students. Do your individual net searches. Test with main sources and material specialists in the event that they’re obtainable. For those who’re in class, you possibly can even ask your pleasant neighborhood librarian for assist.

Do not forget that there are various wonderful conventional sources. For instance, Google Scholar and JSTOR present entry to a variety of academically acceptable sources you possibly can cite with cheap confidence.

One remaining level: when you merely minimize and paste ChatGPT sources into your analysis, you are prone to get stung. Use the AI for clues, not as a option to keep away from the true work of analysis.