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A pointer in the model's answer back to the exact source chunk it used, so a human can verify the claim.
Citations turn a black-box answer into a checkable one: each statement links to the document, page, or chunk it came from. They matter because grounding is invisible without them — a user can't tell a real answer from a fluent fabrication until they can click through to the source. Some APIs return citations as structured spans tying output text to specific input documents, rather than trusting the model to format '[1]' correctly. Example: a legal RAG tool that shows the exact paragraph behind every assertion so a lawyer can confirm it before relying on it.
Plainly
Think of Citation as a simple recipe for doing the work better. A pointer in the model's answer back to the exact source chunk it used, so a human can verify the claim.
In practice
Use it when you need a repeatable method instead of guessing from vibes. In practice, define the owner, input, output, and failure mode before you rely on it.