Practical guides
Cite sources without overstating them
A citation should let another reader locate the evidence and understand what it supports. A URL or DOI identifies a resource; it does not automatically establish the truth of your sentence.
Method
1. Identify the document
Record author or organisation, title, edition, publication date and persistent identifier where available. Distinguish the date of the document from the date you read it.
2. Connect claim and passage
Keep a short passage reference, page or section next to the statement. Read enough context to preserve limitations. Label your own calculation or interpretation separately from the source’s conclusion.
3. Make the trail reusable
Place the citation near the relevant claim. Check that title, authors and destination agree. For a changing dataset, note the version and period. Preserve required attribution and licensing conditions.
Example to adapt
For a museum object, record the collection page, inventory number, attributed creator and uncertainty. Cite the catalogue for the attribution, and label your interpretation of the image as your own.
Checklist
Checks stay on this page; ticking a box does not automatically validate the result.
Deliverable
A short source register connecting each important claim to its evidence.
Limitations
Never invent a missing author, publication date or quotation. A search snippet is not a substitute for reading the original.
Sources for further reading and checking
These independent resources help you find a reference. Check the language and scope: a French resource may not describe rules in another country. These are not sources automatically consulted for generated answers.
- Crossref — DOI and bibliographic search
Find bibliographic references and DOIs from citation metadata.
Language: en · Scope: International - Bibliothèque nationale de France — data.bnf.fr
Records identifying creators, works and editions through bibliographic links.
Language: fr · Scope: France - NIST — Generative AI Profile (AI 600-1)
A generative AI risk profile for identifying and managing risks.
Language: en · Scope: US
Link check: 2026-10-06 · These links are reading resources. The answer service does not consult them automatically. A checked link does not guarantee every document is current.