Research and sources
Separate original evidence from summaries of it
Several articles can repeat one statement that began in a single place. To find out, follow each citation backward until you reach the original data, document or statement, then record how direct each step is. Three outlets citing one report count as one source.
A text to start with
I want to check this claim: [claim]. These articles repeat it: [titles or links]. For each article, identify what source it cites, then what that source cites, until we reach an original document, dataset or first-hand statement. Mark where the trail stops. Tell me which articles depend on the same origin.
Example request. Change the details to fit your situation.Claim tracing map
Claim being checked: [ ] Article or page: [ ] Source it cites: [ ] Original source it points to: [ ] Original reached (yes / no): [ ] Directness (original, summary of original, summary of a summary): [ ] Wording matches original: [ ] Unresolved link and why: [ ] Pages sharing one origin: [ ] Number of independent origins: [ ] Next step to resolve: [ ]
Citation chains that loop or stall
Look for two pages citing each other, or a chain that ends at an unnamed "study" or "experts." A summary that adds a number the cited source does not contain is a warning, as is a quote whose wording changes between articles. Confirm that the original says what the secondary source claims, with its context intact. Count independent origins, not pages. Mark any link you could not open as unresolved instead of assuming it supports the claim. Keep the date of each step visible.
Ask another agent to check the result
Find circular citations and summaries being counted as independent evidence in this map. Show which pages share one origin and where a chain ends without an original. Point out any claim wording that changed between steps. Do not accept an unopened link as support.
Resolve what you can, label the rest
Open each original you identified and check the claim against its actual wording. For unresolved links, search for the original title or author, or note that you could not find it. Decide whether the claim can stand on the independent origins you verified. In your summary, state which parts rest on originals and which rest on summaries.