✦ Dive Deeper
How Dive Deeper Decides Which Sources to Trust
Not every retrieved article makes it into a Dive Deeper report. Here is the scoring system that decides which sources are worth citing.
By Headlinne Editorial Team · Updated on
More candidates than the report needs
Between Headlinne's own database and live web search, a single dive can surface far more candidate sources than a readable report should cite. Dive Deeper scores and ranks every candidate before deciding which ones make the cut.
The four signals behind every score
Each candidate source is scored on a blend of:
- Relevance — how directly it relates to the story
- Freshness — how recently it was published, weighted so newer coverage counts more
- Credibility — the publisher's track record and reputation
- Diversity — whether it adds a genuinely different source, not another article from an outlet already well represented
Diversity caps prevent one outlet from dominating
Even a highly relevant, highly credible outlet is capped in how many sources it can contribute to a single report. This keeps the Sources section from turning into a list of five articles from the same publisher and one from everyone else.
Only the highest-ranked sources get cited
After scoring, Dive Deeper keeps the strongest, most varied set of sources and drops the rest. This is also what powers the numbered citation chips — every number in the report corresponds to one of these ranked sources.
Key takeaways
- ✓Headlinne scores sources before citing them, so a report is not simply whatever ranked highest.
- ✓Sources are scored on relevance, freshness, credibility, and diversity, not relevance alone.
- ✓A cap on how many sources one outlet can contribute keeps the report from feeling one-sided.
- ✓Only the highest-ranked, most varied sources are kept and cited.
Frequently asked questions
Does Dive Deeper just cite the top search results?
No. Headlinne scores candidates on credibility, freshness, and how much they add to what is already cited, then keeps the set that best covers the question — which is why a report is usually shorter than the raw retrieval.
Does a bigger, more famous outlet always win?
Credibility is one of four factors, not the whole score. A smaller outlet with a highly relevant, fresh, and unique story can outrank a large outlet whose coverage is older or repeats what another source already said.
Related Headlinne features
Related reading
Continue learning
Freshness, Credibility, and Diversity: How Dive Deeper Scores Every Source
A closer look at the three signals — beyond simple relevance — that shape which sources end up in a Dive Deeper report.
How Dive Deeper Decides What Gets Cited
Every claim in a Dive Deeper report points back to a specific source. Here is how the system decides which sources back which sentences.
Start reading personalized news with Headlinne
Create your free account and build a feed that learns what you care about.