> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.chief.bot/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Understanding sources & citations in answers
> Chief grounds answers in your sources and shows its work, so you are never guessing where a claim came from.
## Why citations matter
Chief grounds answers in your sources and shows its work, so you are never guessing where a claim came from. Citations let you verify a fact, open the original file, and trust the answer enough to forward it.
## What you see in an answer
As Chief writes, it adds citation markers inline next to the claims they support. A citation can point to three kinds of source:
* **Project files** — documents, sheets, and other items in the current Project's [Library](/help/your-knowledge-library/what-is-the-library).
* **[Public data](/help/the-prompt-bar-scope/including-public-web-data-public-data)** — web pages Chief read, shown with a link you can open.
* **Knowledge** — [Concepts](/help/concepts/what-are-concepts) and other structured knowledge in your Project.
Select or hover a citation to see the source it refers to, then open it to read the original in full.
## Verify a claim with Cite Sources
When you want chapter and verse for a specific passage, use the **Cite Sources** action:
1. In an answer, **highlight the text** you want to check. The [**Do more with this text**](/help/chatting-with-chief/the-text-selection-menu-act-on-any-passage) menu appears.
2. Click **Cite Sources**.
3. Chief replies telling you whether each part came from Project files or public data, the source name (with a URL for web sources), the exact passage it used with surrounding context, and the page or sheet it was on.
🚀 **Pro-Tip:** To cite a whole answer at once, click the **bolt** icon that appears when you hover an answer to open [**Do more with this answer**](/help/chatting-with-chief/working-with-an-answer-the-response-menu), then choose **Cite Sources**.
## When something looks off
If a claim has no citation, or the cited source does not say what the answer says, do not take it at face value. Ask Chief to cite that specific sentence, or run **Fact Check** on it. [Citations point to where Chief drew from](/help/how-chief-works-magic-under-the-hood/how-chief-finds-answers-in-your-files-retrieval-citations) — checking the original is how you confirm it.
## FAQ
The source lives in a Project you are not a member of, or in a [shared chat](/help/sharing-visibility/viewing-shared-chats-as-a-guest) where you do not have access to the underlying file. Ask the Project owner for access, or open the chat from a Project you belong to.
Some answers are reasoning or formatting rather than fact retrieval, so there is nothing to cite. If an answer makes factual claims without citations, highlight the text and run **Cite Sources** to ask Chief where it came from.
Treat web sources with the same scrutiny you would anywhere online. Open the link, confirm it says what the answer claims, and prefer your own Project files when accuracy is critical.