All chatbots

OpenAI

GPT-5

40
answers
98%
answers cite
8.5
sources per citing answer
71
different websites
0.95
news-site quality (0 to 1)

How do chatbots’ citation patterns change over time?

Share of answers with a citation, each day.

0%25%50%75%100%Oct 23Oct 25Oct 27Oct 29GPT-5, Oct 23: 100% (n = 5)GPT-5, Oct 24: 100% (n = 5)GPT-5, Oct 25: 100% (n = 5)GPT-5, Oct 26: 100% (n = 5)GPT-5, Oct 27: 100% (n = 5)GPT-5, Oct 28: 100% (n = 5)GPT-5, Oct 29: 100% (n = 5)GPT-5, Oct 30: 80% (n = 5)
GPT-5
Data

Most-cited websites

Domains by number of citations.

News and media
Nonprofits and think tanks
News and media
News and media
News and media
News and media
Encyclopedias and reference
Government
Companies
Nonprofits and think tanks
Government
Government
Government
News and media
Government
News and media
Nonprofits and think tanks
Commercial content
Government
Data

Source types week by week

Share of citations by type of publisher, per week.

Week of Oct 19122
61%
16%
11%
Week of Oct 26209
59%
20%
News and mediaEncyclopedias and referenceAcademicCommercial contentGovernmentNonprofits and think tanksCompaniesData and toolsNot yet classified
Data

What are citations used for?

Each citation coded by the job it does in the answer.

87%
Evidence for a claimA statisticWho holds a viewBackgroundFurther reading
Data

What kind of a page gets cited?

A specific article, or a home page that cannot back a specific claim.

69%
19%
ArticleHome or section pageData pageReference entryOfficial documentSocial or video post
Data

Which questions get answers with citations?

Share of answers with a citation, per question. Tap a cell to read the answers.

Data

How do chatbots handle yes-or-no questions?

Average position: +1 is a clear yes, −1 a clear no, 0 both sides. Tap a cell for the answers.

Data

Read GPT-5’s answers