Skip to main content
This guide shows you how to work with inline citations in Knowledge Graph responses. Inline citations show which specific sources support each part of the response, enabling you to verify information and trace claims back to their origins.

Response with inline citations

Below is an example of a response from a Knowledge Graph that includes inline citations:
Acme Corp's flagship product line includes three
main categories: industrial tools, consumer
electronics, and automotive parts. The industrial
tools division offers precision manufacturing
equipment with advanced automation capabilities
[Acme-Product-Catalog.pdf](a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890).

Corresponding references array

Below is the corresponding references object that contains a direct snippet from the source file that was used to support the response:
{"files": [
  {
    "text": "Industrial Tools Division: Our precision manufacturing equipment features advanced automation capabilities with real-time monitoring systems that reduce operational downtime by up to 40% through predictive maintenance algorithms.",
    "fileId": "a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890",
    "score": 0.95,
    "page": 12,
    "cite": "a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890"
  }
]}

​
Enable inline citations

To enable inline citations in Knowledge Graph responses, set inline_citations: true in your query_config parameter when making direct Knowledge Graph queries via the /v1/graphs/question endpoint.
cURL
curl --location --request POST 'https://api.writer.com/v1/graphs/question' \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer $WRITER_API_KEY" \
  --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --data-raw '{
    "graph_ids": ["<GRAPH_ID>"],
    "question": "What are the key features of our product?",
    "query_config": {
      "inline_citations": true
    }
  }'

​
Citation format and correlation

​
Citation format

Inline citations appear in the answer from the LLM as [source_name](identifier), where:
  • source_name is the display name of the source: either the filename for files, or the page title for web sources
  • identifier is the unique identifier used to correlate with the references array
The identifier format depends on the source type:
  • File sources: Uses the cite field value, for example, [document.pdf](a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890)
  • Web sources: Uses the url field value, for example, [Web Page Title](https://example.com/page)

​
Correlate citations with references

Inline citations correspond to entries in the references object. Correlation differs by source type:
  • File sources: Citations use the cite field from the file reference object as their identifier
  • Web sources: Citations use the url field from the web reference object as their identifier
Example correlation: Here’s an example showing how inline citations correlate with the references array for both file and web sources: Response text: 
Acme Corp's flagship product line includes three main categories: industrial tools, consumer electronics, and automotive parts.
The industrial tools division offers precision manufacturing equipment with advanced automation capabilities
[Acme-Product-Catalog.pdf](a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890). According to recent industry analysis,
smart manufacturing adoption has increased by 40% across similar companies [Industry Trends Report](https://example.com/industry-trends).
References object: 
{
  "files": [
    {
      "text": "Industrial Tools Division: Our precision manufacturing equipment features advanced automation capabilities with real-time monitoring systems that reduce operational downtime by up to 40% through predictive maintenance algorithms.",
      "fileId": "a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890",
      "score": 0.95,
      "page": 12,
      "cite": "a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890"
    }
  ],
  "web": [
    {
      "text": "Smart manufacturing adoption rates have increased by 40% across mid-size manufacturing companies, driven by automation and IoT integration.",
      "url": "https://example.com/industry-trends",
      "title": "Industry Trends Report",
      "score": 0.88
    }
  ]
}
Citation mapping:
  • Citation [Acme-Product-Catalog.pdf](a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890) uses the cite field from the file reference object
  • Citation [Industry Trends Report](https://example.com/industry-trends) uses the url field from the web reference object

​
Response format

Knowledge Graph responses include a references object with files and web arrays. The files array contains file reference objects for file-based sources, and the web array contains web reference objects for web-based sources.

​
File sources

File sources appear in the references.files array.
FieldTypeDescription
textstringThe actual text snippet from the source document that supports the response
fileIdstringUnique identifier for the source file
scorenumberInternal score used during the retrieval process for ranking and selecting relevant snippets
pageintegerPage number where the snippet was found in the source document
citestringUnique identifier used in inline citations within the response text

​
Web sources

Web sources appear in the references.web array.
FieldTypeDescription
textstringThe exact text snippet from the web source that was used to support the response
urlstringThe URL of the web page where this content was found
titlestringThe title of the web page where this content was found
scorenumberInternal score used during the retrieval process for ranking and selecting relevant snippets

​
Streaming responses

When using streaming responses with Knowledge Graph tools, the references object containing sources and citations is sent in the last chunk of the stream. This means:
  • Content chunks: The response text with inline citations is streamed progressively
  • Final chunk: Contains the graph data with the complete references object
  • Citation processing: You need to collect all chunks and process the final one to access source text

​
Next steps