Definition
The precision with which an LLM maps generated claims to the specific retrieved context chunks in a RAG pipeline, ensuring that every citation provided corresponds to a source that actually contains the supporting evidence. High citation accuracy eliminates 'attribution hallucinations' but often introduces architectural trade-offs such as increased latency due to secondary verification steps and higher token costs for metadata-heavy prompts.
Distinguish from Retrieval Precision; while retrieval finds the right documents, citation accuracy ensures the LLM correctly points to them in the final answer.
"A legal brief where every footnote points to the exact page and paragraph of an exhibit that proves the specific claim made in the text."
- Faithfulness(Component)
- Hallucination Rate(Inverse Metric)
- Source Attribution(Synonym/Process)
- Grounding(Prerequisite)
Conceptual Overview
The precision with which an LLM maps generated claims to the specific retrieved context chunks in a RAG pipeline, ensuring that every citation provided corresponds to a source that actually contains the supporting evidence. High citation accuracy eliminates 'attribution hallucinations' but often introduces architectural trade-offs such as increased latency due to secondary verification steps and higher token costs for metadata-heavy prompts.
Disambiguation
Distinguish from Retrieval Precision; while retrieval finds the right documents, citation accuracy ensures the LLM correctly points to them in the final answer.
Visual Analog
A legal brief where every footnote points to the exact page and paragraph of an exhibit that proves the specific claim made in the text.