Treat the cited page as evidence observed at a particular time, not as a permanent record. When a source changes, preserve what your original observation can establish and record the new inspection as a separate event.
Keep two clocks
The answer collection time tells you when the AI output was observed. The source review time tells you when someone opened the page. These can differ materially.
The ALCE paper distinguishes citation quality as an evaluation dimension. Our source ledger extends the practical review process; it is not a claim that a changed source invalidates every historical answer or that a current page proves its earlier contents.
Create a source observation ledger
Store the raw cited URL, resolved URL, title, collection time, review time, relevant claim, review outcome and reviewer. Include an available version identifier or visible update date without assuming that it reflects every page change.
Retain only the short excerpt needed to justify the decision, or a privately permitted snapshot. Do not republish a full third-party source as an evidence appendix.
Illustrative example: an answer collected on Monday cites a plan page. On Friday the plan page has a different seat limit. The Friday page establishes the current visible limit, not necessarily what Monday's answer could have retrieved.
Recheck the right cases first
- Prioritize claims about availability, pricing, policy or other changing facts.
- Open the original URL and record redirect or availability changes.
- Compare the claim with the current source.
- Label the relationship as unchanged, changed, unavailable or unclear.
- Correct the current report if its interpretation now overstates the evidence.
Do not quietly replace the old excerpt with today's wording. Preserve the original reviewer note and add a correction or later observation.
Handle disappearance carefully
A missing page can be temporarily unavailable, moved or removed. Record the actual HTTP result and inspection time. If an official replacement exists, link it as a new source; do not rewrite history as though that URL was the returned citation.
For a report that cannot retain source content, state the limitation explicitly. The exact answer and returned URL still provide useful provenance, but the historical support may remain unverifiable.
The AI citation guide explains what a citation represents. Next, choose one time-sensitive source in the citation tracking workflow, add its review time and assign a future recheck owner.
Fact-checked: 17 October 2026. Examples are illustrative; no customer results are reported.