How do I cite Perplexity in APA?

To cite Perplexity in APA (7th edition), include the author, title, date, and source location. Use our free citation generator for automatic formatting.

What does the in-text citation look like for Perplexity in APA?

In APA, the in-text citation for the example above is (Perplexity AI, 2025)

How to Cite Perplexity in APA (7th edition)

Learn how to cite Perplexity AI answers, threads, and the sources they cite in APA format (7th edition). This guide includes the reference list format, in-text citation examples, and key formatting rules.

APA Reference List Format

Here is the standard APA format for citing Perplexity in your reference list:

Perplexity AI. (Year, Month Day). Title of the thread [Generative AI chat]. Perplexity. https://www.perplexity.ai/search/…

APA Example for Perplexity

A complete APA reference for Perplexity, written by hand and checked against the official APA guidance for this source:

Perplexity AI. (2025, May 20). High school grammar topics [Generative AI chat]. Perplexity. https://www.perplexity.ai/search/a457cb8c-c663-4c9b-b34e-cb03d8108b35

Matching in-text citation: I used Perplexity (Perplexity AI, 2025) to generate a list of grammar topics, then read and cited the sources it linked.

APA In-Text Citation

Use one of these formats when referencing this source within your paper:

Parenthetical

(Perplexity AI, 2025)

Narrative

Perplexity AI (2025) produced the following list of grammar topics.

Key APA Formatting Rules

Make Perplexity AI, the company, the author, and name Perplexity after the bracketed description.
Italicize the thread title Perplexity shows in sentence case and add [Generative AI chat].
End with the perplexity.ai/search link after you have made the thread shareable; check that it opens when signed out.
Cite the web sources Perplexity links for the facts you use; cite the Perplexity thread only for the generated wording itself.
Without a public thread link, cite the tool generally, as APA does: Perplexity AI. (2025). Perplexity [Large language model]. https://www.perplexity.ai/

Step-by-Step Guide

Gather source information: Collect the author name, title, publication date, and URL or DOI for your Perplexity.
Format the reference: Arrange the elements following the APA (7th edition) template shown above.
Create the in-text citation: Add a parenthetical or narrative citation in your paper where you reference this source.
Add to your reference list: Include the full formatted citation at the end of your paper.
Double-check formatting: Verify italics, punctuation, capitalization, and hanging indents match APA requirements.

Evidence and review notes

Worked examples on this page are written by hand from the style's own published guidance and checked against it, because the general CSL styles do not encode this source's rules. Editorial guidance and sources in this section were reviewed on 2026-08-14.

Metadata to collect

the company that built the tool (Perplexity AI)
the date of the search thread
the thread title Perplexity assigned
the exact question you asked
the numbered web sources Perplexity cited
the public perplexity.ai/search link

Common metadata traps

Perplexity builds each answer from numbered web sources; open those pages and cite them directly for any fact, because APA’s Part 2 post treats AI used as a search tool like any other route to a published source.
Perplexity’s footnote numbers are not your citations; a summary can misstate what a source says, so check the wording against the page before quoting or paraphrasing it.
Do not name an underlying model unless the thread itself displays one; APA’s official example lists only Perplexity.

Editorial sources

APA Style — references →

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I cite Perplexity in APA?: To cite Perplexity in APA (7th edition), include the author, title, date, and source location. Use our free citation generator for automatic formatting.
What is the APA format for Perplexity citation?: The APA format for Perplexity is: Perplexity AI. (Year, Month Day). Title of the thread [Generative AI chat]. Perplexity. https://www.perplexity.ai/search/…
What does the in-text citation look like for Perplexity in APA?: In APA, the in-text citation for the example above is (Perplexity AI, 2025)