Citation Styles
Basic Page Citation
Always cite sources using Notion page mentions:
<mention-page url="https://notion.so/workspace/Page-Title-uuid">Page Title</mention-page>The URL must be provided. The title is optional but improves readability:
<mention-page url="https://notion.so/workspace/Page-Title-uuid"/>Inline Citations
Cite immediately after referenced information:
The Q4 revenue increased by 23% quarter-over-quarter (<mention-page url="...">Q4 Financial Report</mention-page>).Multiple Sources
When information comes from multiple sources:
Customer satisfaction has improved across all metrics (<mention-page url="...">Q3 Survey Results</mention-page>, <mention-page url="...">Support Analysis</mention-page>).Section-Level Citations
For longer sections derived from one source:
### Engineering Priorities
According to the <mention-page url="...">Engineering Roadmap 2025</mention-page>:
- Focus on API scalability
- Improve developer experience
- Migrate to microservices architectureSources Section
Always include a "Sources" section at document end:
## Sources
- <mention-page url="...">Strategic Plan 2025</mention-page>
- <mention-page url="...">Market Analysis Report</mention-page>
- <mention-page url="...">Competitor Research: Q3</mention-page>
- <mention-page url="...">Customer Interview Notes</mention-page>Group by category for long lists:
## Sources
### Primary Sources
- <mention-page url="...">Official Roadmap</mention-page>
- <mention-page url="...">Strategy Document</mention-page>
### Supporting Research
- <mention-page url="...">Market Trends</mention-page>
- <mention-page url="...">Customer Feedback</mention-page>
### Background Context
- <mention-page url="...">Historical Analysis</mention-page>Quoting Content
When quoting directly from source:
The product team noted: "We need to prioritize mobile experience improvements" (<mention-page url="...">Product Meeting Notes</mention-page>).For block quotes:
> We need to prioritize mobile experience improvements to meet our Q4 goals. This includes performance optimization and UI refresh.
>
> — <mention-page url="...">Product Meeting Notes - Oct 2025</mention-page>Data Citations
When presenting data, cite the source:
| Metric | Q3 | Q4 | Change |
|--------|----|----|--------|
| Revenue | $2.3M | $2.8M | +21.7% |
| Users | 12.4K | 15.1K | +21.8% |
Source: <mention-page url="...">Financial Dashboard</mention-page>Database Citations
When referencing database content:
Based on analysis of the <mention-database url="...">Projects Database</mention-database>, 67% of projects are on track.User Citations
When attributing information to specific people:
<mention-user url="...">Sarah Chen</mention-user> noted in <mention-page url="...">Architecture Review</mention-page> that the microservices migration is ahead of schedule.Citation Frequency
Over-citing (every sentence):
The revenue increased (<mention-page url="...">Report</mention-page>).
Costs decreased (<mention-page url="...">Report</mention-page>).
Margin improved (<mention-page url="...">Report</mention-page>).Under-citing (no attribution):
The revenue increased, costs decreased, and margin improved.Right balance (grouped citation):
The revenue increased, costs decreased, and margin improved (<mention-page url="...">Q4 Financial Report</mention-page>).Outdated Information
Note when source information might be outdated:
The original API design (<mention-page url="...">API Spec v1</mention-page>, last updated January 2024) has been superseded by the new architecture in <mention-page url="...">API Spec v2</mention-page>.Cross-References
Link to related research documents:
## Related Research
This research builds on previous findings:
- <mention-page url="...">Market Analysis - Q2 2025</mention-page>
- <mention-page url="...">Competitor Landscape Review</mention-page>
For implementation details, see:
- <mention-page url="...">Technical Implementation Guide</mention-page>Citation Validation
Before finalizing research:
✓ Every key claim has a source citation ✓ All page mentions have valid URLs ✓ Sources section includes all cited pages ✓ Outdated sources are noted as such ✓ Direct quotes are clearly marked ✓ Data sources are attributed
Citation Style Consistency
Choose one citation style and use throughout:
Inline style (lightweight):
Revenue grew 23% (Financial Report). Customer count increased 18% (Metrics Dashboard).Formal style (full mentions):
Revenue grew 23% (<mention-page url="...">Q4 Financial Report</mention-page>). Customer count increased 18% (<mention-page url="...">Metrics Dashboard</mention-page>).Recommend formal style for most research documentation as it provides clickable navigation.