Add a references section with citations to your cornerstone page

Adding a references section with real citations to your cornerstone page gives it the credibility structure of genuine research content, showing readers and search engines exactly where your claims and data come from rather than asking them to simply trust unsourced statements.

Cited, well-sourced content is more trustworthy to readers and more likely to be treated as authoritative by search engines and AI systems, similar to how academic or journalistic writing builds credibility through visible sourcing.

How to do it

1. 1
   Identify every factual claim in your cornerstone page

   Statistics, quotes, or specific claims that should be backed by a real source.
2. 2
   Find and link genuine, credible sources

   Original research, government data, or other authoritative sources, not just any page that happens to state the same thing.
3. 3
   Format as a clear references section

   A dedicated list at the end of the page, making sourcing easy to review.
4. 4
   Keep sources current

   If a cited source becomes outdated or the link breaks, update the reference.