How to cite a verified fact in your AI app

A short guide to showing a fact, its sources and its tier, so that a reader can check the claim for themselves.

An application that states a fact without showing where it came from asks the reader to take it on trust. The pattern below gives the reader what is needed to check the claim instead.

1. Fetch the fact with its sources

Every fact returned by the DeepInquiry API carries its wording, its source groups, a tier (gold, silver or bronze) and a signature. A free key allows 500 requests a month and is available at /signup.

curl -H "x-api-key: <your DeepInquiry API key>" \
  "https://www.deepinquiry.ai/api/v1/facts?category=science&limit=3"

If your application is an AI agent, the same data is available over the Model Context Protocol; see the MCP server documentation. The meaning of each field is set out in the response field reference.

2. Show the wording as it stands

Facts can be corrected after publication, so show the wording returned by the API, not a copy saved earlier. If you store a fact, store its id and fetch it again when you display it.

3. Show the tier, and say what it means

The tier records how many separate source groups support the fact. Sources are grouped by website, and by parent company where it is known, before they are counted. The methodology explains the grouping in full. A short label such as “Gold: several separate source groups” is enough for most screens.

4. Link to the fact page and the original sources

Each fact has its own page on deepinquiry.ai listing its sources. Link to that page, and where space allows link to the original sources listed there. A reader who follows the link can judge the sources without relying on your application or on ours.

5. Keep the signature with the fact

Each fact carries a CiteSig signature, an open way to show that the wording and its sources have not been altered after signing. If you pass a fact on to another system, pass the signature with it. The protocol is described at citesig.org.

Questions about using the facts in a product: api@deepinquiry.ai.