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.govGovernment298
ipcc.chGovernment69
climate.govGovernment63
wikipedia.orgEncyclopedias and reference55
cornell.eduAcademic32
royalsociety.orgAcademic30
archive.mdData and tools20
iop.orgAcademic18
wmo.intGovernment16
noaa.govGovernment15
archive.isData and tools14
skepticalscience.comNonprofits and think tanks12
archive.vnData and tools12
archive.phData and tools12
youtube.comSocial media and video10
sciencedaily.comNews and media9
climateforesight.euNonprofits and think tanks8
caltech.eduAcademic7
edf.orgNonprofits and think tanks7
cbsnews.comNews and media7
What kinds of sources do chatbots use?
Share of each chatbot’s citations by type of publisher.
News and mediaEncyclopedias and referenceAcademicGovernmentNonprofits and think tanksCompaniesSocial media and videoForums and Q&ABlogs and newslettersData and toolsLow provenanceNot 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