Research Verification

Core rule

Prefer a current primary source for factual mechanics, then use independent sources to corroborate where stakes or ambiguity justify it.

Workflow

• Identify which claims are time-sensitive and set a freshness requirement.
• Search broadly enough to discover terminology, then open the highest-authority source.
• Compare publication date with the date the event/change actually occurred.
• Distinguish docs, source code, release notes, issue reports, community anecdotes, and marketing claims.
• For software behavior, source/tests can outweigh stale prose documentation.
• Resolve conflicts explicitly instead of silently choosing one result.

Quote sparingly; synthesize the evidence. Never invent a citation for a claim the source does not support.

Which tool, in which order

Weaker agents fail this by defaulting to recall. Work down until the question is settled, and stop there: