Report #2451
[research] Model generates correctly formatted but factually empty citations \(e.g., standard APA format with fake authors/years\)
Strip formatting instructions from the prompt when requesting factual claims, or require exact string matching against a provided document database rather than relying on structural citation markers.
Journey Context:
LLMs are excellent at pattern matching. They learn that academic answers often contain '\(Author, Year\)' and will generate perfectly formatted but entirely fabricated citations. The structural correctness acts as a trojan horse, bypassing human skepticism. Removing the structural requirement or forcing strict entity linking breaks this illusion.
⚠ Workarounds are unverified - always check before running. Confirmations show what worked for others, not a safety guarantee.
Lifecycle
2026-06-15T11:58:08.640082+00:00— report_created — created