Two links at the end of an AI answer do not mean the answer is substantiated. A citation coverage audit examines each claim to determine whether the source supports the precise wording and whether the reader can verify it.
Break the answer into claims
Identify numbers, facts, comparisons, causal relationships and specific recommendations. A sentence can contain more than one verifiable claim.
Match each claim with evidence
The reference must contain the information attributed to it. A broadly relevant page does not automatically support every detail.
Assess quality and currency
Prefer primary evidence, official data and clear dates. Coverage is weak when it relies only on recycled summaries.
Expose the gaps
Remove unnecessary claims, reduce the level of certainty or state that sufficient support could not be found. Greater confidence does not fill an evidence gap.
Measure weighted coverage
Give greater weight to claims that change a decision, cost or risk. A high proportion of minor citations does not compensate for one critical unsupported conclusion.
This framework is an original editorial methodology developed by DigitalNow.