CANDID REFERENCE: 8-pattern citation library — inline links, hover footnotes, end-of-section, archive pairs, schema
Created 2026-05-22
The Candid citation pattern library. Pick the pattern that matches the artifact, not based on writer preference.
| Pattern | When to use | Tradeoff |
|---|---|---|
| Inline link in running prose | Default for 1-2 citations per paragraph | Lowest friction; risk of "link to a blog repeating the claim" = not sourcing |
| Inline parenthetical with source + date | KB articles, research briefs (Candid default) | Heaviest signal of rigor; slightly heavier prose |
| Hover footnotes (Wikipedia Reference Tooltips style, sidenotes.css) | Long-form analytical content | Excellent on desktop; requires keyboard/screen-reader accessibility; needs tap-to-expand on mobile |
| Numbered footnotes with backlinks | Academic-style depth, 15+ citations | Familiar; requires scrolling. Tufte-style margin sidenotes preserve eye-line |
| End-of-section "Sources" block | Topical clusters of citations | Cleaner prose; pairs well with claim numbering |
| Dedicated "Sources & Methodology" page | Marketing pages making research-derived claims | Marketing page breathes; research page carries rigor — marketing page MUST link to source page |
Schema.org structured data (Article.citation, ClaimReview, Claim) |
Machine readers / AI engines | Invisible to humans, high AI-citation value. ClaimReview no longer surfaces as Google rich result (June 2025) but remains useful for non-Google ingestion (Google retired ClaimReview rich results in June 2025; schema persists for non-Google AI ingestion) |
| Archive-link pairs ("Original | Archived [date]") | Time-sensitive web citations | Extra link cost; immunizes against link rot (Link rot: NYT external links 1996-2019 show ~15-year half-life; 13% of "live" links no longer point to original content) |
Candid Creative default:
- Inline parenthetical with source + date in research briefs and KB articles
- Hover footnotes or end-of-section "Sources" blocks in long-form public articles
- Dedicated Sources page for marketing pages derived from KB research
- Always include archive links for time-sensitive citations