PromptScoutWhat is Source Attribution (AI)?
Source Attribution (AI) is the practice of identifying and displaying which sources were used to produce an AI-generated answer. Source Attribution (AI) may appear as citations, linked references, or a list of sources.
Quick definition
Source Attribution (AI) is when an AI answer shows where information came from.
How Source Attribution (AI) works
- Source Attribution (AI) depends on whether the system retrieves external documents during answer generation.
- Source Attribution (AI) may map specific claims to specific sources or may list sources more generally.
- Source Attribution (AI) can be limited when the system uses only model parameters without retrieval.
- Source Attribution (AI) quality depends on retrieval accuracy and how sources are selected and ranked.
Why Source Attribution (AI) matters
Source Attribution (AI) matters because attribution enables verification and supports trust.
Source Attribution (AI) affects:
- whether users can click through for details
- how publishers receive credit through citation in AI answers
- how hallucinations (AI) can be detected and reduced
Example use cases
- Checking whether an AI overview includes linked sources.
- Auditing which pages are consistently listed as sources for a topic.
- Measuring changes in cited sources after content updates.