How do chatbots’ citation patterns change over time?
Share of answers with a citation, each day.
GPT-5Claude Sonnet 5Gemini 3.5 FlashGrok 4.5Muse Spark 1.2
Position over time
Average position each day on one yes-or-no question (+1 yes, −1 no).
GPT-5Claude Sonnet 5Gemini 3.5 FlashGrok 4.5Muse Spark 1.2
Climate change is real.
How often do chatbots cite external sources?
Share of answers with at least one link/citation.
Most-cited websites
Domains by number of citations.
nasa.govGovernment164
climate.govGovernment39
ipcc.chGovernment37
wikipedia.orgEncyclopedias and reference35
royalsociety.orgAcademic21
cornell.eduAcademic19
archive.mdData and tools13
iop.orgAcademic12
archive.isData and tools10
noaa.govGovernment10
skepticalscience.comNonprofits and think tanks9
wmo.intGovernment9
archive.phData and tools8
climateforesight.euNonprofits and think tanks7
edf.orgNonprofits and think tanks7
archive.vnData and tools6
youtube.comSocial media and video6
cbsnews.comNews and media5
caltech.eduAcademic5
aaas.orgNonprofits and think tanks5
What kinds of sources do chatbots use?
Share of each chatbot’s citations by type of publisher.
News and mediaEncyclopedias and referenceAcademicGovernmentNonprofits and think tanksSocial media and videoForums and Q&AData and toolsNot yet classified
Which way the sources point
On yes-or-no questions, whether what each citation backs points to yes, to no, or neither.
Points to yes