# How do you prevent or reduce 'hallucinations' in language models?

_Last updated: 2026-07-20_  
_Reviewed by: Jason Burns, Editorial Steward_  
_Published by: AIDirectAnswers.com · Licensed under Citation License 1.0_

## Short answer

Reduce hallucinations by grounding the model with retrieved source documents (RAG), constraining outputs with schema or tool calls, asking the model to cite and quote its sources, and evaluating with tests that catch fabricated facts.

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_Author: [Jason Burns](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-randolph-burns), Editorial Steward_  
_Published: 2026-07-20 · Modified: 2026-07-20_  
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