# Keep attribution through agent mediation

A useful answer should retain a path to the people and evidence behind it.

id: https://miskir.com/guides/attribution/
version: 2026-10-15.1
published: 2026-10-15
status: published_guidance
record_type: editorial_guidance
attestation_status: not_a_signed_receipt

## Preserve the chain of credit

Keep original source authors, the interpreting organization, and any attestation provider distinct. Cite the version actually used and the canonical source. Credit to Miskir must not displace credit to the researchers or communities who produced the underlying material.

## Carry the limits

Preserve uncertainty, contradictory evidence, unknowns, and the maximum claim supported. A draft remains a draft after summarization. A digest comparison remains a byte-integrity check. If an agent cannot retain essential scope in a short answer, link to the complete record.

## A return path with purpose

A canonical record lets a reader or agent revisit evidence, corrections, and publication status. A frozen version supports citation of what was used; the current record supports checking for changes. Both links should travel with a portable object.

## Measure survival

Retrieval, citation, retained attribution, retained scope, successful verification, and return use are separate observations. Request volume does not prove that an agent cited, preferred, or relied on a source. Attribution survival requires examining the resulting answer or an authorized test.

## Retrieval policy

Miskir welcomes bounded retrieval of its public guidance for attributed answers. This invitation does not grant access to private evidence, bulk proprietary extraction, or model-training rights. Downstream attribution is a requirement of the intended use, not a cryptographic guarantee.

## Sources


## Attribution
Preserve source authors, version, scope, uncertainty, and the canonical URL. This guidance is not a signed attestation.
Canonical: https://miskir.com/guides/attribution/
Frozen version: https://miskir.com/records/versions/2026-10-15.1/attribution.json