> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://elephas.app/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Check Every Answer with Citations

> Every Elephas answer cites your documents. Click a numbered citation to read the exact passage, and use the Sources panel to see what was searched and used.

Every claim in an Elephas answer carries a small number. Click it to read the exact passage from your document that supports it, with the file name and the page, slide, sheet or line. The Sources panel lists everything the answer cited, and what was searched but not used.

## Before you start

* Ask a question first. See [Ask questions about your documents](/docs/ask/ask-questions-about-your-documents).
* Citations work the same with Elephas AI, your own API key and Local AI, on every plan.

## Steps

<Steps>
  <Step title="Click a number in the answer">
    The Sources panel opens on the right with a card for each source the answer cites. The card you clicked shows the passage itself, the document name and where it sits, for example **page 4**, **slides 3–5**, **sheet 2** or **lines 10–12**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click another card to read its passage">
    Each card in the panel opens its own passage when you click it. The panel header counts documents, for example **2 of 5 cited**: the answer cited 2 of the 5 documents that were searched.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Find the original file">
    On the open card, click **Show in Finder** (Mac) or **Show in File Explorer** (Windows). Your file manager opens with the original file selected.
  </Step>

  <Step title="See everything an answer used">
    Click the sources button under an answer, for example **3 sources**, to open the panel on that answer. To show or hide the panel, click the panel button in the chat bar, choose **View › Show Sources**, or press ⌥⌘I on Mac or Ctrl+Alt+I on Windows.
  </Step>
</Steps>

If the Sources panel is hidden when you click a number, the passage opens in a small window instead. Click **OK** to close it.

## How it works

### Only exact passages are cited

Elephas cites the passage of your document that states the fact. Summaries and search snippets help Elephas decide where to look, but they are never cited. Before showing an answer from Elephas AI or your own API key, Elephas checks the answer against its sources. If the answer still can't be supported by your sources after one revision, Elephas doesn't show it and says so.

### What the line above the answer means

Above each answer, a short line says what Elephas found, for example **6 passages from 3 documents**. Under it, a coverage line counts the documents that were in scope:

| Mark | Meaning |
| - | - |
| **cited here** | The answer quotes this document |
| **searched, not cited** | The document was in scope but the answer doesn't quote it |
| **couldn't be read** | Elephas could not get text out of this document |

"Searched, not cited" does not mean the document was read from start to finish. Elephas searches an index of your documents and reads the passages that match best.

### What the Sources panel shows

* **Cited sources** at the top, in the order the answer cites them.
* Under a line, the documents that were searched and **not used**, and any that **couldn't be read**. This is where to look if you expected a file to be quoted and it wasn't.

### Answers stay checkable later

Elephas keeps its own copy of the text of every file you add. If you move or rename the original, the citation still shows the right passage. **Show in Finder** then says **That file is no longer where it was added from. The answer still quotes it correctly.**

### Other things you may see under an answer

* **Answered by:** in the chat bar names the AI that answered. See [Choose how Elephas answers](/docs/ai-options/choose-how-elephas-answers).
* A shield such as **2 details hidden** appears when Elephas hid personal details before sending your question to cloud AI. See [Review hidden details](/docs/privacy-and-security/review-hidden-details) and [What data is sent to AI](/docs/privacy-and-security/what-data-is-sent-to-ai).
* **Partial answer** means everything shown was checked against your sources, but some of the answer couldn't be, so it may not cover everything you asked.

## Troubleshooting

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="A card says Source no longer available">
    The document was removed from its Brain, or its text changed since the answer was written. If you see **Support passage changed or is unavailable**, the document was updated and that exact passage is gone. Ask the question again to get an answer from the current version. See [Update documents and versions](/docs/brains-and-documents/update-documents-and-versions).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Show in Finder doesn't open the file">
    If Elephas says **Your computer would not show that file.**, the file may be on a drive that is not connected. If it says the file is no longer where it was added from, it was moved or deleted. The citation itself is still correct.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="A document I expected is listed as couldn't be read">
    Elephas could not get text from it, for example a scanned page without text recognition or a damaged file. See [Scanned PDFs and images](/docs/brains-and-documents/scanned-pdfs-and-images-ocr) and [File import errors](/docs/troubleshooting/file-import-errors).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Related articles

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Ask questions about your documents" href="/docs/ask/ask-questions-about-your-documents" />

  <Card title="Why an answer isn't in your documents" href="/docs/ask/answer-not-in-your-documents" />

  <Card title="Review hidden details" href="/docs/privacy-and-security/review-hidden-details" />

  <Card title="Keyboard shortcuts" href="/docs/ask/keyboard-shortcuts" />
</CardGroup>


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