Distinguish sources, citations, references, and evidence
Use each term precisely and recognize what a source list does not prove.
In this article
- Source
- Content retrieved or supplied to support processing.
- Reference
- Identification of a relevant source, document, section, or location.
- Citation
- Displayed link between a claim or passage and a source.
- Evidence
- A sufficient, relevant, and authentic body supporting a conclusion under applicable requirements.
Practical guidance
The source panel can group cited sources separately from additional sources and can collapse a long group. Expand the relevant group and open the original. A listed resource indicates available context; a citation links a claim to a reference, but only comparison with that reference establishes whether the claim is supported.
Advanced tips
For a reviewable deliverable, maintain a short claim-to-source checklist: claim, source version, relevant passage and reviewer conclusion. Mark unsupported or inaccessible references explicitly instead of treating the number of citations as a measure of correctness.
Was this article helpful?