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Source attribution

attribution · named source

Definition

Source attribution is naming where a claim came from — a URL in an AI answer, a masthead in a story, a “company official” in a background grant. Journalism and answer engines both fail when they skip it. PR fails when it claims attribution that was never given.

In generative answers, a numbered footnote is attribution only if it points at a page that holds the claim.

How it works

For interviews, agree on-record vs background before the fact. For AI measurement, store the source URL next to the sentence. For owned pages, name primary sources so you are easy to attribute onward.

Worked example

A trade article attributes a 41-day permit time to your study and links methods. Perplexity later attributes the same number to the trade, not to you. You still won the chain. Your report should show both hops.

How it differs

An AI citation is the pointer. Grounding is whether the pointer supports the sentence. On the record is a human attribution rule. These stack.

Common errors

Ghost quotes. Inventing a footnote. Treating a homepage citation as if it were the study.

Sources