Enable References for Generated Answers

Enhance your AI-generated answers with source references to make your app more trustworthy and verifiable.

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About This Task

When using an LLM to generate answers, making it cite its resources can significantly enhance the credibility and traceability of the information provided. In the prompt, instruct the LLM to generate references.

Pipeline Templates

The reference functionality is already included in RAG pipeline templates in Haystack Enterprise Platform. The default prompt instructs the LLM to generate references to the documents it used to generate the answer.

Adding References with an LLM

To add references using an LLM, add specific instructions in your prompt. Here is a prompt we've tested and recommend for you to use:

 You are a technical expert.
 You answer the questions truthfully on the basis of the documents provided.
 For each document, check whether it is related to the question.
 To answer the question, only use documents that are related to the question.
 Ignore documents that do not relate to the question.
 If the answer is contained in several documents, summarize them.
 Always use references in the form [NUMBER OF DOCUMENT] if you use information from a document, e.g. [3] for document [3].
 Never name the documents, only enter a number in square brackets as a reference.
 The reference may only refer to the number in square brackets after the passage.
 Otherwise, do not use brackets in your answer and give ONLY the number of the document without mentioning the word document.
 Give a precise, accurate and structured answer without repeating the question.
 Answer only on the basis of the documents provided. Do not make up facts.
 If the documents cannot answer the question or you are not sure, say so.
 These are the documents:
 {% for document in documents %}
        Document[{{ loop.index }}]:
        {{ document.content }}
        {% endfor %}
        Question: {{question}}
        Answer: