Why do citation numbers differ between tabs?
Why the Summary tab's Citations tile and the Sources & Citations tab's Total Citations show different numbers.
In Answer Engine Analytics, the Citations tile on Summary and Total Citations on Sources & Citations count different things. Both are correct.
| Where | What it counts |
|---|---|
| Summary › Citations | Every source stored with an answer, with your own share shown as "/ x%" |
| Sources & Citations › Total Citations | Only citation pills — the source chips an AI engine shows in its answer. The same page cited in three answers counts three times |
| Sources & Citations › Number of Sources | Pages the engine read in the background to write its answer. A page can count both as a pill and as a source |
| Sources & Citations › Sites | Distinct website names. www. and blog. count separately |
A link that appears only inside the answer text counts in Sites and in the All table, but not in Total Citations or Number of Sources.
Other numbers that differ
- Positive Sentiment on Summary counts one sentiment per answer. The Sentiment tab counts quotes inside answers. See Why do sentiment numbers differ?.
- The Prompts tab always covers all time, so its totals won't match tabs that follow your period.
For the exact definitions, see Metrics explained.
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