AI Citation Evidence Archive Template

AI Citation Evidence Archive (fill-in)

When to use: One entry per AI citation, with the answer excerpt, cited URL, prompt context, capture date and verifier, plus a completion check.

AI citation evidence archive

One entry per time an AI answer cites your page. Fill it in the day you find the citation, before the answer changes.

Archive owner: [name] - Screenshot folder: [link or path] - Entry prefix: [e.g. CIT-]

Per-entry detail (fill for every citation)

• Prompt context: [engine, model, browsing on/off, logged-in or not, country/location]
• Where in the answer: [inline link, numbered source, or named without a link]
• Cited page: [is the URL your canonical page, a redirect, or a syndicated copy]
• Evidence files: [screenshot filename] and [raw answer text file], both named by entry ID
• Captured by: [name] on [date + time + timezone]
• Verified: [name] re-ran the prompt on [date], result [reproduced / changed / gone]
• Status: [captured / verified / changed / archived]

Next action

• Archive owner: [name] - task: file each new citation and name its screenshot by entry ID by [date]
• Verifier: [name] - task: re-run every new prompt within [N] days and record the result
• Content owner: [name] - task: when a cited page has a weak section, plan a fix by [date]

Completion check

• Every entry has a screenshot and the raw answer text saved, not just a link.
• Every entry records the exact prompt, the engine and the capture date with a timezone.
• The cited URL is written in full and checked that it still loads.
• A verifier has re-run the prompt and recorded reproduced, changed or gone.
• Each entry has one owner. Nothing is edited after capture; corrections go in a dated note.

Capture Checklist (do this the moment you find it)

When to use: A fixed order for grabbing the proof before the answer changes: screenshot, raw text, cited URL and the context behind the answer.

Capture checklist

Run this the minute you see the citation. The answer may differ if you reload, so capture first and tidy the entry later.

Grab these, in order

• Screenshot the whole answer, with the prompt visible at the top and the cited link or source list in frame. Save it named by entry ID.
• Copy the raw answer text into a plain file. A screenshot can be hard to search; the text makes the excerpt easy to quote later.
• Copy the exact cited URL. Open it once to confirm it loads and points to your page, not a redirect or a copy.
• Record the prompt word for word. Small wording changes can return different sources, so the exact prompt matters.

Context that changes the answer

• Engine and model: [e.g. ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and the model if shown]
• Browsing: [web search on or off]
• Account state: [logged in or not; any custom instructions]
• Location: [country or region, since answers can be local]
• Date and time: [with timezone]

Found the citation during a visibility check? Look up your domain in the AI Visibility Checker to open recorded AI answers that name or link you, then archive any hit here the same day.

Field Definitions (the five required fields)

When to use: What each archive field means and what a good value looks like, so two people fill the sheet the same way.

Field definitions

Fill these five fields the same way every time. Vague entries are not proof.

Rules that keep entries honest

• Quote the excerpt; do not summarise it. The words are the evidence.
• Write the cited URL in full. A bare domain cannot be checked later.
• If the AI named you without a link, say so. A mention is not a citation.
• One engine and one prompt per entry. Two prompts means two entries.

If the cited page is thin where the AI quoted it, plan a stronger version with the Content Brief generator before the next check.

Verification Routine

When to use: How a second person re-runs the prompt, confirms the citation is real, and records whether the answer still holds.

Verification routine

The person who found the citation should not be the only record of it. A second person re-runs the prompt and writes down what they see.

Steps for the verifier

• Open the exact prompt and the same engine from the entry. Match the context fields where you can.
• Run it once. Note whether your page is still cited, cited differently, or gone.
• Compare the live answer to the saved excerpt and screenshot.
• Write your name, the re-run date and the result: reproduced, changed or gone.

A gone result is still worth keeping. It shows the citation was real and that AI answers move. Do not delete the entry.

Check the cited URL still resolves to your page with the Redirect Checker, so a citation is not lost to a quiet redirect.

Spreadsheet Header (CSV)

When to use: A paste-ready header row and allowed values to run the archive in Google Sheets or Excel.

Paste-ready spreadsheet header

Paste this row into cell A1 of Google Sheets or Excel, then split text to columns by comma. One row per citation.

entry_id,engine,model,prompt,browsing,account_state,location,answer_excerpt,citation_type,cited_url,url_status,screenshot_file,raw_text_file,captured_by,capture_datetime,timezone,verifier,verify_date,verify_result,status,owner,notes

Allowed values

• browsing: on, off, unknown
• citation_type: linked, source_list, named_no_link
• url_status: loads, redirect, broken
• verify_result: reproduced, changed, gone
• status: captured, verified, changed, archived

Sheet tips

• Highlight rows where screenshot_file or raw_text_file is empty. Those entries are not yet proof.
• Highlight rows where verify_result is empty and capture_datetime is older than your review window.
• Keep the screenshots in one folder named by entry_id, so a row always points to its file.
• Never overwrite a row after capture. Add a dated note instead.

Pair this with your running visibility log so hits flow straight into the archive. See the AI Search Visibility Template for the ongoing check.

Worked Example (fictional Fenmarrow beekeeping supplies)

When to use: Three filled entries for an invented beekeeping shop: one verified, one changed and one gone, to show a complete archive.

Worked example: Fenmarrow beekeeping supplies

Example only. Fenmarrow is an invented beekeeping supplies shop. The prompts, URLs, names and dates are made up to show a filled-in archive.

Archive owner: content lead - Screenshot folder: /evidence/ai-citations/ - Entry prefix: CIT-

How the entries were filled

• CIT-014: screenshot and raw text saved as CIT-014. The cited URL loaded and matched the canonical guide. Maria reproduced it the next day.
• CIT-015: on re-run, Fenmarrow still appeared but at a different source position, so a dated note was added and the original capture kept.
• CIT-016: a named mention with no link, logged as citation_type named_no_link. On re-run it was gone, and the entry was kept as a record.

Why this works

• Every entry has a screenshot and raw text, so the proof survives even after the answer changes.
• The gone entry was not deleted. It shows the citation was real and that answers move.
• The named-no-link entry is marked honestly, not counted as a linked citation.

Want help building a repeatable AI visibility and evidence process? Book a free consultation with Anatolii Ulitovskyi, or see our SEO and GEO services.

Monthly Archive Review

When to use: A short monthly routine for the archive owner: stale captures, broken cited URLs, missing evidence and patterns worth acting on.

Monthly archive review

Pick one day a month. The archive owner runs these checks and fixes entries on the spot.

Checks

• Missing evidence: any entry without a screenshot or raw text file is completed or marked incomplete.
• Not verified: any captured entry older than your window gets a verifier re-run.
• Dead cited URLs: open each cited URL. If it redirects or breaks, note it and plan a fix.
• Duplicates: one engine and prompt should have one entry. Merge repeats.
• Patterns: note which pages and prompts get cited, and which engines cite you most.

Review fields

• Review date: [YYYY-MM-DD] - Reviewer: [name]
• Entries completed: [list of IDs]
• Entries that changed or went gone this month: [IDs]
• Page that earns the most citations: [URL]
• Next page to strengthen: [URL + why]

Run your domain in the Backlink Analyzer to see its strongest links and anchors next to your citation record.