Identifying where a statement, finding, quotation, or dataset originated.
Source attribution identifies where a statement, quotation, finding or dataset came from. It helps readers distinguish your own analysis from information supplied by someone else and gives them a route to inspect the original context.
Use a source specific enough to support that inspection. A link to an organization’s homepage is often less useful than a direct link to the relevant report or documentation. Identify dates or versions when they affect the meaning, and distinguish the original evidence from a later article discussing it.
Attribution and accuracy are related but different. Naming a source does not establish that it supports your sentence, and a source may itself have limitations. Giving credit also does not automatically authorize unrestricted reuse of text, images or data; check the applicable usage terms separately.
Takeaway: Make important factual claims traceable and keep your own conclusions clearly labeled. A reader should be able to tell which evidence supports the statement without guessing.
Example
A business guide discusses results from a published customer survey. It links to the actual survey report, identifies the study period and explains that the respondents came from the report’s stated sample. It does not cite a secondary headline as though it had independently collected the data.
What to check
Keep a source ledger while drafting, including the specific claim each reference supports. Distinguish direct quotations from paraphrases. Recheck important links and replace a citation only with evidence that supports the same claim.
For more detail, see Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content.