Evidence layer
Probative surfaces brought into scope by this page
This page does more than point to governance files. It is also anchored to surfaces that make observation, traceability, fidelity, and audit more reconstructible. Their order below makes the minimal evidence chain explicit.
- 01Canon and scopeDefinitions canon
- 02Weak observationQ-Ledger
Definitions canon
/canon.md
Opposable base for identity, scope, roles, and negations that must survive synthesis.
- Makes provable
- The reference corpus against which fidelity can be evaluated.
- Does not prove
- Neither that a system already consults it nor that an observed response stays faithful to it.
- Use when
- Before any observation, test, audit, or correction.
Q-Ledger
/.well-known/q-ledger.json
Public ledger of inferred sessions that makes some observed consultations and sequences visible.
- Makes provable
- That a behavior was observed as weak, dated, contextualized trace evidence.
- Does not prove
- Neither actor identity, system obedience, nor strong proof of activation.
- Use when
- When it is necessary to distinguish descriptive observation from strong attestation.
Citation fidelity
Citation fidelity is the degree to which a displayed citation actually supports, bounds and constrains the claim made by an AI-mediated answer.
A citation can be visible without being faithful. The cited source may only support a minor detail, provide background context, repeat a weaker version of the claim, or contradict the synthesis that appears above it.
Short definition
Citation fidelity asks whether the cited source does the evidentiary work that the answer implies it does. The test is not merely whether a URL appears, but whether the cited material is sufficient for the generated claim, current for the time frame, authoritative for the perimeter, and correctly interpreted.
What it is not
Citation fidelity is not citation frequency, SEO visibility, retrieval probability or source popularity. Those signals may explain why a source appears. They do not prove that the source governs the answer.
Governance implication
A citation-fidelity audit should classify the citation role, identify the strongest available source under source hierarchy, and compare the answer against proof of fidelity. The practical question is simple: did the citation constrain the claim, or did it merely decorate it?