Research and sources
Recheck sources before reusing old research
Old research can carry claims that no longer hold. List each claim with its source and the date you relied on, find the current version from the authority that owns it, and note whether the substance changed. Revise only what the new evidence supports.
A text to start with
I wrote this research on [date]: [text]. Here are the claims and their sources: [list]. Help me recheck it. For each claim, note the source age, the current authority, what I should look up and what a change would look like. Say which claims are most likely to be time-sensitive and which are probably stable.
Example request. Change the details to fit your situation.Source recheck table
Original draft date: [ ] Recheck date: [ ] Claim: [ ] Original source and date: [ ] Current authority: [ ] Current wording or figure: [ ] Substance changed (yes, no, unclear): [ ] Only the display date changed (yes / no / unknown): [ ] Old version available for comparison: [ ] Current claim independently confirmed: [ ] Revision needed: [ ] Claims I could not verify: [ ] Source replaced by a newer one: [ ]
Real changes and cosmetic ones
Compare the actual text or figures as well as the displayed dates. A new page date may reflect an unrelated edit, while a figure can change without a visible date update. Check whether a source has been replaced and whether definitions or units changed. If the old version is unavailable, distinguish two conclusions: you may be able to verify the current claim without knowing exactly what changed. Record any claim you could not confirm from accessible evidence.
Ask another agent to check the result
Compare the old and current source passages I supply for each claim. Identify substantive changes, date-only changes and any differences in definitions or units. If a version is missing, say what you cannot compare. Flag a claim still lacking support in the current passage; do not infer live page contents.
Revise and record
Update the claims that changed, keep those that did not, and mark any you could not confirm. Add a note with the date of the recheck. For a claim that rests on a source you cannot access, either remove it or flag it for later confirmation.