> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://oodlz-ai-studio.gitbook.io/docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://oodlz-ai-studio.gitbook.io/docs/outbound-agents/awareness/2-articles/external-citations.md).

# External Citations

Superscript footnote citations injected at the most semantically relevant sentence per source, structural lines excluded, every URL validated by live HEAD request before publish.

> **Citations placed where they actually support the claim — not in the intro, not in headings, never broken.**

Most AI writers fabricate citations by inventing URLs or citing irrelevant sources. The Oodlz Articles producer cites only sources that appear in the research brief's approved list, places each citation at the most semantically relevant sentence in the article, and validates every external URL with a live HEAD request before publish.

## How It Works

The Link Agent reads the article and the approved external sources from the research brief. For each approved source, it returns up to 3 candidate sentences ranked by semantic relevance to the source's content. The injection step picks the most relevant one and adds a superscript footnote citation at the chosen sentence. A minimum paragraph gap between citations is enforced — citations never cluster, never sit in adjacent sentences.

Structural line types are excluded from citation placement: headings, lists, blockquotes, table cells, and any FAQ section content. Citations belong in narrative prose, never in scaffolding.

Every external URL passes through live HEAD validation before publish. Broken links and timeouts are stripped from the article and the Sources block. The Sources block is auto-appended at the end of the article, renumbered in document order on every run, and rebuilt clean — no orphaned numbers from stripped sources, no manual renumbering required.

Citations from intro and conclusion sections are stripped by POST-PROCESS — those zones are reserved for the article's own argument, not borrowed authority.

## What You Get

* Citations only from research-brief-approved sources — no fabricated URLs, no hallucinated authorities.
* Superscript footnotes at the most semantically relevant sentence per source — citation supports the claim it sits next to.
* Minimum paragraph gap enforcement — citations never cluster, never appear in adjacent sentences.
* Structural lines excluded — no citations in headings, lists, blockquotes, tables, or FAQ.
* Live HEAD validation per URL — broken or timed-out links stripped before publish, never reach the reader.
* Sources block renumbered in document order on every run — no orphaned numbers, no manual cleanup.
* Intro and conclusion citations stripped by POST-PROCESS — those zones reserved for the article's own argument.