Primary object
Open the original document, dataset, image or recording. A search result or summary is insufficient when the underlying record is available.
Record to retain · Exact URL and identifier
GUIDE / EVIDENCE
Trace the evidence behind a claim
A citation, screenshot and figure may appear to agree while all deriving from one source. An evidence chain exposes every step.
01 / GUIDE / EVIDENCE
Start with the exact claim
Write down the precise claim, its date and the decision it should inform. Split it into testable facts: who, what, where, when and under which definition. A source supporting one part does not validate the rest.
Guides02 / GUIDE / EVIDENCE
Five links to document
The conclusion can be no stronger than its weakest link. Keep an accessible reference and explicit limitation for each one.
Publisher and remit
Identify who produced the record, in which role and for what scope. A public statement is not an independent finding.
Record to retain · Author, institution and remitTime and version
Separate event, publication, capture, correction and access dates. Compare versions when a past state matters.
Record to retain · Timestamps and retained versionTransformation
Record extraction, translation, calculation, crop or synthesis. Retain parameters so another reader can locate the passage.
Record to retain · Steps and parametersCorroboration
Find a genuinely independent source and a possible counterexample. Two copies of one report are not two pieces of evidence.
Record to retain · Independent source and countercheck03 / GUIDE / EVIDENCE
A short, reproducible record
Four actions preserve the link between the record, analysis and decision. If the primary record remains unavailable, identify exactly which passage is known through a secondary account and what could not be checked. Readers must be able to distinguish a record you consulted from one that was merely cited.
- 01
Fix the question
Record the initial wording, period, jurisdiction and certainty needed for the decision.
- 02
Collect without rewriting
Keep URL, identifier, date, version and any permitted copy; separate the original from your notes.
- 03
Trace inferences
For each sentence of the synthesis, identify the record, exact passage, transformation and assumptions.
- 04
Publish the limit
State what the records establish, what they suggest and what remains unavailable or unchecked.
04 / GUIDE / EVIDENCE
Where the chain breaks
These situations need different checks.
A register conflicts with an article
Compare entity identifier, date, status and filings. A current register does not automatically reconstruct the past.
Read the dossierA photograph loses its context
Find the earliest publication and independent clues to place and time before attributing an event.
Read the dossierAn AI answer cites a page
Open the cited page, locate the passage and check whether the generated wording respects its scope.
Read the dossierA useful reference supports another check
Cite the precise page and version read. A portal title, search engine or access date does not replace the document date. Missing information stays missing; retain the uncertainty in your record.
Compose a public-source reference05 / GUIDE / EVIDENCE
Method references
06 / FAQ
Provenance questions
Is an official source enough?
It may establish what its institution publishes within its remit. It does not necessarily prove execution, causation or the absence of other facts.
Should a copy be retained?
Retain a version where law and terms allow, alongside URL and date. An isolated copy without context remains weak.
How should conflicting evidence be handled?
Keep it in the record. Describe the difference, check dates and definitions, then revise or suspend the conclusion.
How should a figure recalculated from a table be cited?
Identify the table, version, rows and units used. Retain the formula, missing-value treatment and rounding rule. Present the result as your derived calculation; citing the table does not mean its producer published that result.
07 / Discuss a context
From record to decision
A short, dated and verifiable chain exposes uncertainty before it becomes a public claim.
Apply the method to specific cases
Proposed exercise: this protocol is not a performed service test.
Gemini · Can a connected document serve as public evidence?
Classify references by access, then check whether another reader can consult the relevant passage.
Retain origin and access conditions; do not present a private file as publicly verifiable evidence.
Meta AI · Is a news link the fact’s source?
Open the linked article and find the original producer of the figure or statement.
Retain the answer–article–original document chain; distinguish news access from evidence of the fact.
Grok · Can a connector-based answer be reproduced publicly?
Identify documents actually used and check the reviewer’s permissions.
Retain an accessible, authorised reference; otherwise state that verification requires private access.
DOCUMENTED REFERENCE
Repeated quotation: locate the passage with context
Identical quotations can occur more than once. Web Annotation distinguishes the selected text from its immediate prefix and suffix. Context can resolve ambiguity; it proves neither authorship nor factual accuracy.
| Reference | Value or form | What it identifies |
|---|---|---|
| exact | alpha | The exact selected text after extraction. In the original example “🧭 A: alpha; B: alpha.”, alpha occurs at [5,10) and [15,20), measured in code points. |
| prefix | A:␠ | The prefix must immediately precede the passage. “A:” without a space is different from “A:” followed by a space: characters are part of the context. |
| suffix | ;␠B:␠ | The suffix immediately follows the passage. If supplied, prefix and suffix are checked together; neither changes the exact quotation being searched. |
| matches | [5,10) · [15,20) | W3C recommends treating all remaining matches as selected. The explorer counts them all, displays the first 100 and reports ambiguity rather than arbitrarily taking the first. |
Try text anchoring
Original example with no real document: 🧭 A: alpha; B: alpha. The two explorers are independent.
Nonempty text: at most 2,000 code points; quotation: 1–200; each context: at most 100. No spaces, markup or accents are removed. Text fields use LF line endings.
Offsets follow logical text order. Right-to-left display does not reverse indexes.
These tools calculate in your browser and transmit no text.
Matches found : 2 · Multiple matches: the selection remains ambiguous.
Text code points : 21 · Text UTF-16 units : 22
Showing the first 100 matches; refine the context to shorten the list.
| Start | End | Selected passage | Grapheme boundaries |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 10 | alpha | Boundaries preserved |
| 15 | 20 | alpha | Boundaries preserved |
Boundaries preserved
Selector representation, no file created
{"type":"TextQuoteSelector","exact":"alpha"}Finding or rereading a passage validates neither the source nor the claim.
Implication for the record
This tool compares already extracted plain text. It fetches no page, strips no markup, decodes no entities and applies no NFC normalization. Use the same extraction when checking again. A textual match does not establish the claim’s truth.
How do you target the second occurrence?
Keep exact = alpha and set the prefix to “B:” followed by a space. Two matches become just [15,20). Inserting other text between that prefix and alpha prevents this exact selection from matching.
Primary documentation
Documentation consulted on .
Related checks
- Person, organisation and publication: three identities
- PAdES: four preservation levels, not four grades of truth
- Signed PDFs: identify the revision and covered bytes
- PROV provenance: connect version, process and responsibility
- HMAC: what a shared key changes
- Quotation positions: count code points, not JavaScript units
- A resolving reference may have been corrected
- Corroboration: distinguish documents from origins
DEEPER READING / PRACTICE
Link each claim to a verifiable passage
A note quotes a large document without specify the useful passage. The proof chain connects the phrase published to the extract, then to the document and to its conditions of consultation.
Updated on .
Priority checks
Discover the composed affirmations, find the relevant passages and check their context. Keep ID, page or section, URL and date of consultation.
Interpretation pitfalls
A pass may report a statement without confirming it. A short quote may also withdraw a reservation located in the following paragraph.
Working record to retain
The evidence table links the claim, excerpt, document, location and limitation. Flag missing links before publishing the conclusion.
PRACTICAL CASE / WORKED EXAMPLE
A quote refers to the right report, but to the wrong passage.
The example below is pedagogical. It shows how to move from a document to a qualified proposal, preserving the context, the contradictory elements and the information that the research does not yet allow to establish.
Example context
A phrase is accompanied by a link to a relevant report. The passage used, however, concerns another population and does not support the proposal in its published form.
Suggested approach
Find the exact extract and compare definition, population and period. Correction of the phrase or search for an appropriate piece. Examine claims that reuse the same passage.
Conclusion and next step
The chain is reconstructed with a precise location and a scope reserve. The link alone is replaced by an explicit relationship between proposition and proof.
Questions for deeper practice
How can I quote a picture rather than a paragraph?
Identify the table, the useful lines and columns, as well as their notes. The units, definitions and reserves associated are part of the proof and must accompany the interpretation selected.
DETAILED WORKSHOP / APPLICATION
Reconstruct the evidence chain from sentence to document
01 / Prepare the necessary information
Choose an important statement and gather reference, extract and source piece. Release the version, date and location necessary for a precise consultation.
02 / Carry out the approach
Compare the phrase to the extract and then the extract to its context. Check the notes and reservations. Document the missing or those based on an interpretation rather than on the text.
03 / Examine an alternative situation
If the passage reports a declaration, distinguish that declaration from its confirmation. The document may prove that a statement has been published without proof of the announced fact.
04 / Decide on the next step
The chain is complete for the scope described when the bulbs can be found. The conclusion indicates the limits that remain attached to the document.
05 / Hand over the verification records
Transmit the phrase, passage, piece and reserve matrice. Identifiers and locations avoid to re-do a general search every second reading.
ANNOTATED WORKING DOCUMENT / REVIEW GRID
Claim record with supporting excerpt and context
The file connects phrase, passage, document and consultation. It keeps the notes or reserves that change the reading and signals the missing messages.
On a small screen, scroll the grid horizontally to read all three columns.
| Observation | Supported interpretation | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| The statement exactly supports the proposal. | The relationship is documented for this formulation and this scope. | Keep location and version for a second reading. |
| The passage quotes a third without confirming his statement. | The document makes a declaration rather than the announced fact. | Qualify the formulation and seek direct evidence if necessary. |
| The reserve is located outside the retention extract. | The fragment alone can give incomplete interpretation. | Add the necessary context before publishing the conclusion. |
Reviewing the working document
The final verification must find the way from the phrase to the document. General references to a report are not sufficient when the pages, tables or notes determine the scope of support.
REPORTING / EXAMPLE WORDING
Presentation of results: Link each affirmation to a verified passage
Point to clarify
A reference must lead to the passage on which the judgment actually depends.
Before handing over
Check the links between phrase, extract, document and consultation.
Example of a qualified conclusion
The statement is linked to the passage and the version indicated. The notes and reservations necessary for its reading are kept with the extract.