A source trail should say why the source matters.
Pointing backward is useful.
Explaining the backward point is better.
Did this come from a live conversation?
An old piece of writing?
A pattern that has shown up many times?
A rough thought that still needs pressure?
Those differences matter.
They change how much confidence the note should carry.
They change whether it should feel like a claim, a question, a memory, or a working edge.
The source trail should help the reader know how to hold the thought.
Not too tightly.
Not too loosely.
Just honestly.