Citation Decay
References becoming fewer, less prominent, or out of date over time.
Industry Term
Full explanation
Citation decay happens when references to a brand or source become less frequent, less prominent, or outdated over time. It is a narrower, measurable version of Authority Decay.
Why this matters
It is the early warning. Citations usually thin out before a brand notices any drop in how often it is named.
Where this sits
Citation Decay belongs to Retrieval, Evidence & Consensus, one of the seven layers of the Aingworth Glossary. Information exists, then it is retrieved, then sources are selected, then they corroborate one another, then consensus emerges. This is where Aingworth's Consensus Over Rankings thesis lives.
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