This translation has not been editorially reviewed yet. The German version is authoritative. Deutsche Fassung →
Writing the answer first: why AI systems cite the first paragraph
Anyone who wants an AI system to cite their page has to answer the question in the first paragraph. Answer systems pull a contiguous section — if the core statement only comes after the introduction, the introduction gets cited instead.
- The classic structure of "lead-in, example, insight" works in print, and fails here. Writing it the other way round — statement first, reasoning after — costs nothing, and improves readability at the same time for people who are skimming.
- The first paragraph should be able to stand on its own: no references back to the heading, no pointers to "see below". Whatever gets cited gets cited with no surrounding context.
- This page follows the rule itself — the paragraph above this line is the proof.
