Inline citation
An inline citation is a link to a source placed inside the text of an AI answer, next to the sentence it backs up.
An inline citation is a link placed inside the text of an AI answer, right next to the sentence it supports. It might be a small number, a pill with the site's name, or a linked word. A source list at the end of the answer, or in a side panel, is the other way platforms show where they got their facts.
Inline citations matter because they sit where people are reading. Someone checking a claim about price or delivery clicks the link next to that claim.
How the platforms show them
Each platform does it its own way, and changes it often. Perplexity numbers its sources and puts the numbers in the text. ChatGPT, when it searches the web, adds links in its answer, as OpenAI describes in its help page on ChatGPT search. Some platforms also, or only, list their sources beside the answer.
Why the placement matters
A link next to a sentence ties your page to a specific statement. If the sentence says "Fernhill Coffee roasts every bean within a week of shipping" and the link goes to Fernhill's own page, that's the platform pointing at you as the proof.
For example, an answer comparing three coffee subscriptions might cite a review site in the first paragraph, Kestrel Roasters' pricing page next to the price, and Fernhill's sourcing page next to the line about ethics. Each of those pages shaped a different part of the answer.
In AnswerOrbit
We record every page an answer used and mark the ones it links to as cited. Open an answer in Answers to see them under its text. Citations, citation share and citations per answer are defined in What the numbers mean.