Stop ChatGPT From Inventing Sources (One Line Fix)

ChatGPT will fabricate a source with total confidence and never break a sweat. A study that doesn't exist. A quote nobody said. A statistic it pulled out of thin air, attributed to a real-sounding journal. (Bold of it, honestly.)

The fix isn't a better prompt every single time. It's one line you set once.

Put it in Custom Instructions

Custom Instructions apply across every chat the moment you save them. So you write the rule once and it follows you everywhere.

Paste this in:

Never fabricate sources, statistics, or quotes. If you are unsure, say so.

That's the whole thing. Now instead of inventing a citation to look smart, it admits the gap.

"I'm not sure" is a feature. A confident wrong answer is the bug.

A model that tells you when it doesn't know is worth ten times one that always sounds certain. Set the line. Move on with your day.