Source audit

Read laterally and follow a claim back to its evidence.

Steps

1. Pin the exact claim and source. Inspect author, publisher, publication/update dates, and any visible commercial interest. Unknown authorship stays unknown.

2. Trace the cited result to an original paper, dataset, filing, transcript, or announcement. If the chain stops at another summary, name that gap.

3. Compare the headline and quoted passage with the original method and results. Check sample, denominator, date range, geography, units, and uncertainty.

4. Look for independent coverage, corrections, or retractions where tools permit. Do not infer trustworthiness from a familiar domain or professional design alone.

5. Return supported, overstated, contradicted, or unresolved, with the passage that drives the finding. Offer a narrower wording if the evidence supports less than the claim.

Output

Verdict | original evidence | omitted qualifier | source/date | safer wording | unchecked items.