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caused by the initiative, or did it merely coincide with it? Breaking the sentence apart
prevents superficial verification.

A primary source is the body or document closest to the event or the data: the officially
published text of a law, the original research paper, an audited financial report, an official

database, or the meeting minutes themselves. A secondary source may interpret or
summarize, but it does not replace the original for claims that matter.

It is not enough for the system to display a link. Check that the page exists, that the title,

author, and date match the description, and that the source actually says what is attributed
to it. In academic work, open the paper and read the abstract, the method, and the relevant
results; the existence of a reference does not mean the citation is accurate.

Currency matters. Information may have been correct at an earlier date and inappropriate
now. Record the date of verification, and check the date of the document and its effective

date. In changing matters such as prices, software, regulations, and officeholders, use a
current source and do not rely on the model’s prior knowledge.

Human review does not mean hunting randomly for errors. Create a list of claims, define the
level of evidence required, and record the outcome: confirmed, partial, conflicting, or not

found. This process is faster and more consistent than reading the text many times with no
plan.

FIGURE 4-6: A VERIFICATION PYRAMID PROPORTIONAL TO THE IMPACT OF ERROR

What to notice: Review may begin with internal consistency, but tasks that matter need a

primary source, an independent source, and sometimes an expert or a decision owner.
Source: Prepared by the author.

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