Source citations: how to verify any recommendation from Skol

What a citation looks like

The coach cites sources in a readable form: author, year, title and chapter — for example, Jack Daniels, Daniels’ Running Formula, the chapter on interval training, or the ACSM 2016 position stand. No vague claims about “online data” or unnamed experts: you can open and inspect the evidence yourself.

An honest “no source available”

Sometimes the library simply does not contain suitable material — the question may be highly specialised or not yet covered. The coach then has a strict rule: never fabricate a rationale. A plan proposal cites either a source or the explicit label no source: based on athlete data, relying only on your training load, recovery and sleep.

The same rule applies during plan generation. Knowledge-base retrieval is mandatory, but if no relevant passages are found, the plan is based on your data and established training principles rather than a forced citation. We consider an honest “not found” better than a confident fabrication.

Three transparent counters, not one vanity metric

Each source on the Knowledge base page has three separate metrics:

• Retrieved × — the source appeared in knowledge-base search results. This does not necessarily mean it was used in an answer.
• Cited in answers × — the coach explicitly used it as evidence in a chat response.
• Used in plans × — the source informed plan generation or adjustment.

The distinction matters: retrieval describes search, while citations and plan usage show actual influence on coaching decisions. The most recent usage date is also shown.

How to verify it yourself

• Ask “why?” in chat — the coach will explain the source, your data and the goal behind a decision.
• Open the source on the Knowledge base page to see what the coach draws from it and how often it is used.
• Test retrieval with the search form at the bottom of the Knowledge base page. You will see the same passages and relevance scores available to the coach.

Learn how sources are prioritised in Coach Focus, or assess their reliability in Evidence levels.