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Overview

When your AI Assistant provides information based on your uploaded training documents, it can now show you exactly which files it used to generate its response. These “sources” are the reference materials the Assistant used to generate its answer—they’re meant to show where ideas came from, not to act as formal academic citations.
Important note: Sources are for transparency, not for copy/pasting into a bibliography. The sources will only include the context taken from your training documents, not information from the AI model’s knowledge.

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Enabling Sources

Beta Feature: The sources feature is currently available as a beta feature. You’ll need to enable early access features first, then enable the Sources option in your Assistant’s Knowledge settings.
After enabling early access features, you see a “Sources” toggle in your Assistant’s Knowledge settings. When you turn this toggle on, users can see which of your uploaded training files the Assistant used to generate its responses.
Sources toggle in Assistant Knowledge settings

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How Sources Work

When an Assistant responds using information from your training files, it:
  1. Includes a “Sources” section at the end of its response
  2. Lists up to 5 most relevant files it referenced to generate the answer
  3. Shows which sections of the file were most relevant to your question
Example of sources displayed in an Assistant response
To view sources, ask a question about your course content and look for the “Sources” section at the end of the response. You can click any source to view the original document for more detailed information.
When sources are shown: Sources are only displayed when the Assistant uses information from your training files.When no sources are shown: If no sources appear in a response, the information likely came from the AI model’s knowledge rather than your training files, or your question may not directly relate to content in your training files.When sources don’t match content: The Assistant might be combining information from multiple sources, or the source file might contain additional context not directly mentioned in the response.

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Benefits of Sources

Sources can help students:

Understand context

See where the AI pulled context from to generate its response

Go deeper

Identify where to go deeper into a topic by accessing the original materials

Verify accuracy

Verify the accuracy of claims by checking the original source documents

Transparency

Understand which specific materials are being used to answer questions

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Best Practices for Using Sources

While the sources feature is designed to help track information to its origins, it’s always best practice to verify critical information directly with the original documents, especially for important deadlines or requirements.Remember that sources are not intended for direct citation in academic work. Users should be instructed to use the sources as a starting point for their research, but to properly cite the original materials according to academic standards.

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Teaching Students About Sources

Help students develop critical thinking and research skills by teaching them to:
  • Check sources for important information - Always verify deadlines, requirements, and policies directly in the source documents
  • Cross-reference information - Compare the Assistant’s response with the original materials to ensure accuracy
  • Trace claims to authoritative sources - Understand how to follow information back to its original source
  • Ask better questions - Learn which types of questions yield the most helpful sourced responses
This practice not only helps students use the AI Assistant but also builds valuable research and information literacy skills that transfer to other academic work.

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Next Steps

Assistant Analytics

Monitor how users interact with sources and responses

Assistant Knowledge

Manage and organize the source files used by your Assistant