Source Authority
Whether the source itself is credible and appropriate for the subject.
Citation Integrity™
What is Citation Integrity™?
Citation Integrity™ is the assessment of characteristics that affect whether information can be depended upon as evidence within an AI-generated answer.
AI systems increasingly depend upon external information. Citation Integrity™ asks a fundamental question: Should this information be relied upon?
Citation Integrity™ is the method. Being cited by AI is the outcome we measure.
By CiteAbility™ · Last updated
Key takeaways.
- Citation Integrity™ describes how dependable and verifiable your published information is to an AI system.
- The eight public Citation Integrity™ Dimensions describe what CiteAbility™ assesses.
- It is distinct from ranking. A page can rank well and still be unusable as evidence.
- It degrades over time unless it is monitored.
Visibility is not integrity
AI visibility and information integrity are not the same thing
A source can be highly visible without being dependable.
A page can rank well without adequately supporting its claims.
A company can be widely mentioned while publishing contradictory information.
AI discoverability answers
Can the system find it?
Citation Integrity™ asks
Can the system depend upon it?
The framework
The Citation Integrity™ Dimensions
CiteAbility™’s public Citation Integrity™ framework has eight dimensions. The dimensions describe what is assessed; the underlying methodology remains confidential.
The Dimensions describe the areas CiteAbility™ evaluates as information moves from Accessible to Citeable. Outcomes then observes whether an AI system actually cites it.
This explains what Citation Integrity™ means while the underlying assessment methodology remains proprietary.
Entity Authority
Whether the person or organisation behind the information is qualified for the claim.
Organizational Probity
Whether verified, attributable information about an organisation’s conduct, transparency or standing is materially relevant to reliance.
Evidence & Citations
Whether claims are substantiated and cited sources genuinely support them.
First-Hand Experience
Whether the source shows direct knowledge, testing or original evidence.
Content Quality
Whether information is accurate, complete, specific, current and appropriately qualified.
Technical Accessibility
Whether an AI system can reliably discover, parse and attribute the information.
Integrity Analysis
Considered together, whether the information should be relied upon and cited.
The underlying assessment methodology remains proprietary CiteAbility™ intellectual property.
Plain-English definition
What CiteAbility™ means by a claim
A claim is a factual statement about a business, product, service, person or event that an AI system may repeat. CiteAbility™ considers whether a claim is attributable, supported by relevant evidence, appropriately qualified and suitable for responsible reliance. Repetition or confident wording is not proof.
See the Citation Integrity™ GlossaryWhy it matters
Why Citation Integrity™ matters
AI-generated answers increasingly influence:
- Purchasing decisions
- Research
- Professional decisions
- Company discovery
- Product comparison
- Information retrieval
- Business recommendations
If the information behind those answers is weak, poorly supported or inconsistent, the resulting answer may also be weaker. Citation Integrity™ therefore focuses on improving the information layer underneath AI.
Boundaries
Citation Integrity™ is not AI manipulation
CiteAbility™ does not promise to make a particular AI system cite you, recommend you, rank you, mention you, or include you in an answer.
Third-party AI systems make their own decisions.
CiteAbility™ focuses on something more fundamental: improving the integrity of the information those systems may encounter.
Citation Integrity™ Commitment
Organisations can publicly commit to these principles
Separately from any CiteAbility™ assessment, an organisation can voluntarily adopt the Citation Integrity™ Commitment — a public statement about publishing information that is accurate, attributable, current and suitable for responsible reliance.
The Commitment is a self-attestation by the organisation. It does not mean CiteAbility™ has independently verified, measured, approved or certified that organisation, and it is separate from Citation Integrity™ Certified, which is earned by passing the certification checks.
Next step
Find out where your information stands.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
The questions organisations ask us most often.
- Is Citation Integrity™ the same as AI visibility?
- No. Visibility is about being seen. Citation Integrity™ is about being dependable enough to be used as a source, which is what drives citation and recommendation.
- How is Citation Integrity™ measured?
- Through the Citation Integrity™ Framework, which assesses machine access, entity clarity, claim evidence and external corroboration, and produces a Citation Integrity™ Score.
- Where do I start?
- With the free Citation Integrity™ Audit. It establishes your current position before you commit to any plan.