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