Because to put it bluntly, they don't exist. ChatGPT and other AI chatbots make stuff up. It's just the way they work. All they do is string together sentences and paragraphs that sound plausible. Made up sources might include authors, keywords and organisations relevant to your topic because it will all sound credible and that's what chatbots are aiming for - plausibility, not accuracy. When they are right, it's because most of the data the chatbot has been trained on is true. When it's inaccurate or wrong, it's still put together a series of words that are grammatically correct - that's its job, no more, no less.
It's not a good idea to use ChatGPT or other chatbots to find sources for your study or your essays
Instead, use them to:
- Answer questions
- Provide simple explanations for topics
- Get ideas for essay and assignments
- Check grammar and spelling
- Help plan study and revision
