Asking for a source link when original research is cited

If a publication cites your original research but readers cannot readily find it, you can ask whether the editor would link to the public source. Identify the exact page supporting the passage and explain what readers can check there. The publication decides whether to add a link and how to word it.

Check what the article uses

Read the current article. Does it report a figure, paraphrase a finding, quote a researcher or merely name the study?

Compare the wording with the source version available when the article appeared. If a number, population or material qualification is wrong, address that as an accuracy issue first; a link request cannot fix an inaccurate account.

Choose a public destination that directly supports the cited point. A specific study or finding page, with its method and limits accessible, is generally more helpful than a homepage or sales page. If the study has been revised, explain the version and any correction rather than silently directing readers to a different result.

Make a restrained request

Identify the published article and passage, give the source page and state what a reader can verify. For example:

Thank you for covering the study. The passage about the reported result draws on our public study page, which includes the method and group measured. If a source link would help your readers, that is the page to use.

Leave out a preferred keyword phrase and claims about search value. Google recommends descriptive link text that helps readers understand the destination, but that guidance does not oblige an editor to add a link. Access to the research should not depend on one.

Accept the decision

An article can cite research accurately without linking to it. An editor may name the source, use another document or decide that no link fits. Record the request and reply, then close it unless new information warrants a factual clarification. Repeated requests after a clear decline add no value for readers.

If a publisher offers a link only as a paid placement, treat that as a different arrangement. For Google Search, paid links should be qualified with rel="sponsored". Do not describe a bought link as an independently chosen source reference.