Insights · Checklist
Source-citation checklist for a published page
A page is only as credible as its least supported claim. This checklist extracts every factual claim from a draft, finds its primary source, records it and removes what cannot be supported. It is the fact-verification step in our editorial standards, written as a procedure anyone can follow.
How to use it
Before the first step.
- Run on every draft before expert sign-off.
- The claims register is retained with the page record.
Steps
Each one owned and evidenced.
| # | Step | Owner | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Extract every factual claim: numbers, dates, names, standards, legal statements, comparisons, outcomes. | Verifier | Claims register with one row per claim |
| 02 | Classify each claim: primary source available, author first-hand, or unsupported. | Verifier | Register column |
| 03 | Locate the primary source for each sourced claim: the regulation, study, standard or dataset itself, not a report about it. | Verifier | Source URL or citation per claim |
| 04 | Check the claim against the source text, including currency and context. | Verifier | Verified flag with date |
| 05 | Label first-hand claims as the author’s view and confirm them with the author. | Verifier with author | Author confirmation |
| 06 | Remove or restate unsupported claims; never publish a number without a source. | Editor | Revision record |
| 07 | Apply the stricter standard to comparisons that name third parties and to regulated subjects; route to compliance or counsel where required. | Editor | Review routing record |
| 08 | Write the on-page sources section with full citations in a consistent format. | Editor | Sources section on the page |
| 09 | Record who verified the page and when, in the page record. | Verifier | Verification record |
| 10 | Set the refresh interval based on how fast the cited sources change. | Editor | Refresh interval in page metadata |
By David Selakovic · Published 2026-10-16 · Revised 2026-10-16 · Reviewed every 180 days