# Citations - Verify and Trust AI Responses Citations connect AI responses to your source materials. This guide covers how to use and verify them. --- ## Why Citations Matter Every AI-generated response in Open Notebook includes citations to your sources. This lets you: - **Verify claims** - Check that AI actually read what it claims - **Find original context** - See the full passage around a quote - **Catch hallucinations** - Spot when AI makes things up - **Build credibility** - Your notes have traceable sources --- ## Quick Start: Using Citations ### Reading Citations ``` AI Response: "The study found a 95% accuracy rate [1] using the proposed method." [1] = Click to see source What happens when you click: → Opens the source document → Highlights the relevant section → You can verify the claim ``` ### Requesting Better Citations If a response lacks citations, ask: ``` "Please cite the specific page or section for that claim." "Where in the document does it say that?" "Can you quote the exact text?" ``` --- ## How Citations Work ### Automatic Generation When AI references your sources, citations are generated automatically: ``` 1. AI analyzes your question 2. Retrieves relevant source chunks 3. Generates response with inline citations 4. Links citations to original source locations ``` ### Citation Format ``` Inline format: "The researchers concluded X [1] and Y [2]." Reference list: [1] Paper Title - Section 3.2 [2] Report Name - Page 15 Clickable: Each [number] links to the source ``` --- ## Verifying Citations ### The Verification Workflow ``` Step 1: Read AI response "The model achieved 95% accuracy [1]" Step 2: Click citation [1] → Opens source document → Shows relevant passage Step 3: Verify the claim Does source actually say 95%? Is context correct? Any nuance missed? Step 4: Trust or correct ✓ Accurate → Use the insight ✗ Wrong → Ask AI to correct ``` ### What to Check | Check | Why | |-------|-----| | **Exact numbers** | AI sometimes rounds or misremembers | | **Context** | Quote might mean something different in context | | **Attribution** | Is this the source's claim or someone they cited? | | **Completeness** | Did AI miss important caveats? | --- ## Citations in Different Features ### Chat Citations ``` Context: Sources you selected Citations: Reference chunks used in response Verification: Click to see original text Save: Citations preserved when saving as note ``` ### Ask Feature Citations ``` Context: Auto-searched across all sources Citations: Multiple sources synthesized Verification: Each source linked separately Quality: Often more comprehensive than Chat ``` ### Transformation Citations ``` Context: Single source being transformed Citations: Points back to original document Verification: Compare output to source Use: When you need structured extraction ``` --- ## Saving Citations ### In Notes When you save an AI response as a note, citations are preserved: ``` Original response: "According to the paper [1], the method works by..." Saved note includes: - The text - The citation link - Reference to source document ``` ### Exporting Citations work in exports: | Format | Citation Behavior | |--------|-------------------| | **Markdown** | Links preserved as `[text](link)` | | **Copy/Paste** | Plain text with reference numbers | | **PDF** | Clickable references (if supported) | --- ## Citation Quality Tips ### Get Better Citations **Be specific in questions:** ``` Poor: "What does it say about X?" Good: "What does page 15 say about X? Please quote directly." ``` **Request citation format:** ``` "Include page numbers for each claim." "Cite specific sections, not just document names." ``` **Use Full Content context:** ``` Summary Only → Less precise citations Full Content → Exact quotes possible ``` ### When Citations Are Missing | Situation | Cause | Solution | |-----------|-------|----------| | No citations | AI used general knowledge | Ask: "Base your answer only on my sources" | | Vague citations | Source not in Full Content | Change context level | | Wrong citations | AI confused sources | Ask to verify with quotes | --- ## Common Issues ### "Citation doesn't match claim" ``` Problem: AI says X, but source says Y What happened: - AI paraphrased incorrectly - AI combined multiple sources confusingly - Source was taken out of context Solution: 1. Click citation to see original 2. Note the discrepancy 3. Ask AI: "The source says Y, not X. Please correct." ``` ### "Can't find cited section" ``` Problem: Citation link doesn't show relevant text What happened: - Source was chunked differently than expected - Information spread across multiple sections - Processing missed some content Solution: 1. Search within source for key terms 2. Ask AI for more specific location 3. Re-process source if needed ``` ### "No citations at all" ``` Problem: AI response has no source references What happened: - Sources not in context - Question asked for opinion/general knowledge - Model didn't find relevant content Solution: 1. Check context settings 2. Rephrase: "Based on my sources, what..." 3. Add more relevant sources ``` --- ## Best Practices ### For Research Integrity 1. **Always verify important claims** - Don't trust AI blindly 2. **Check context** - Quotes can be misleading out of context 3. **Note limitations** - AI might miss nuance 4. **Keep source access** - Don't delete sources you cite ### For Academic Work 1. **Use Full Content** for documents you'll cite 2. **Request specific page numbers** 3. **Cross-check with original sources** 4. **Document your verification process** ### For Professional Use 1. **Verify before sharing** - Check claims clients will see 2. **Keep citation trail** - Save notes with sources linked 3. **Be transparent** - Note when insights are AI-assisted --- ## Summary ``` Citations = Your verification system How to use: 1. Read AI response 2. Note citation markers [1], [2], etc. 3. Click to see original source 4. Verify claim matches source 5. Trust verified insights When citations fail: - Ask for specific quotes - Change to Full Content - Request page numbers - Verify manually Why it matters: - AI can hallucinate - Context can change meaning - Trust requires verification - Good research needs sources ``` Citations aren't just references — they're your quality control. Use them to build research you can trust.