This translation has not been editorially reviewed yet. The German version is authoritative. Deutsche Fassung →
Extractable sections: content that can be pulled out
An answer system cites excerpts, not pages. For an excerpt to be usable, it has to stay understandable with no surrounding context. The check verifies whether the page is structured into recognisable, self-contained sections.
- Back-references are the most common reason a section becomes unusable: "As mentioned above", "this leads us to", "the same applies here". Pulled out on its own, that says nothing.
- A second reason is sprawling sections that mix three topics. They can't be cleanly split apart — pulling from them then extracts either too much, or the wrong thing.
- A simple test helps: cover up everything except one section. Does it still make sense?
FAQ
How long should a section be?
Long enough to carry a thought completely, and short enough to carry only one. There's no fixed word count.
Does a very fine-grained structure cause harm?
If every paragraph gets its own heading, the structure loses its meaning. Headings should mark topic changes, not count paragraphs.