Grounding rate
Share of answers that attach retrieved sources versus pure memory. Engine-level stat, useful context for citation rate.
A low grounding-rate engine will ghost-cite more. Don’t fire the content team for ChatGPT being stingy.
Measure per engine.
Examples
- Perplexity grounding rate near always-on. ChatGPT memory mode near off. Your “citation problem” is mode mix.
Related terms
Grounding is tying the answer to retrieved evidence so it hallucinates less. Citations are the visible part.
How many sources an engine attaches, on average. Perplexity is generous. ChatGPT is stingy. Don’t compare rates across engines without this context.
A ghost citation is when an AI answer names your brand but does not link you. You got the shout, not the click.
FAQ
Can I raise ChatGPT’s grounding rate? +
Not globally. You can prefer Search-mode sampling in your own tests and make pages worth fetching.
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