What you’ll make
Write one claim you can point back to a source.
Worked example
Check what a color palette pack includes
You want the product page to say your color palette pack imports into every design app. The file list shows .ase and .gpl files, and your test log covers one editor.
You can list both file formats and name the editor you tested. Keep wider compatibility open until you try the actual files in another editor.
Before you start
- Choose one practical question and the decision it will inform, such as whether a product page can promise that its palette files import into a particular editor. Gather the source files you trust for that question.
- Give each source a distinct label and preserve page numbers or headings. Include dates or versions when they matter and keep a copy you can open during review.
Pick the sentence you want to stand behind
Write down one claim you’re about to use. Gather the smallest set of sources you can open and read to check it. If a version or date affects the result, keep it with the source.
I want my product page to say the palette pack imports into every design app. I have a file list and a test in one editor.
The file list can confirm what’s included. My test only covers the editor I used.
Ask for wording the sources support
Copy the prompt into a new Claude or ChatGPT chat. Attach your sources or paste the relevant excerpts with page numbers or headings. Read the suggested sentence and the exact location it points to.
I give the assistant the .ase and .gpl filenames and my test log.
It might suggest “Includes .ase and .gpl palette files” and leave wider compatibility open.
Help me write one claim I can verify
Check one claim against the sources I give you. Use the details I provide in this chat or in my attachments. Return one short note with a sentence I could use, the exact source and location that supports it, and the part of the original claim that still needs evidence. If the material supports a narrower sentence, use that wording. Keep any date, version, or limit that matters. Never fill in a missing excerpt or citation. If I haven’t provided enough to support even a narrower sentence, tell me the one source or test I need next.
Open the source and check the exact wording
Go to the cited passage. Check that it supports the claim as written, including any version or condition. If a sentence reaches further than the evidence, narrow it or set it aside.
Save the sentence beside the evidence
Keep the verified wording with the source title and location. Write down one next check for anything that still needs support.
- You opened the exact source location.
- The sentence keeps any limit the source requires.
- Any stronger claim has a next check.
Optional: Keep a record of the next few claims
Make a small table with the claim, the exact source location, and what you still need to verify. Use it when you revise a page or document with several claims.
Build an answer I can check against the files
Start with your question and source packet to get a draft and a list of claims you can verify.
I need to answer [question] so I can decide [decision]. Cover [audience, date, and scope] and use only [source files and versions]. Here are the facts I need to establish [facts]. Tell me if a file is missing, unreadable, or outside the dates that apply. Use [unknown label] when the packet leaves a gap. Give me a short draft with a reference next to each material claim. Then make a table with one checkable claim per row, its source title and revision, page or heading, a short supporting excerpt, and whether it’s supported, disputed, inferred, or missing. Split any sentence whose source supports only part of it. Show conflicting passages side by side with their dates and scope. For each open item, name the record, person, or test that could settle it.
Check the sentences that could change the decision
Paste your claim table and the passages you opened to find wording that goes further than the evidence.
Here are the claims that could affect my decision [claims and citations]. Here are the passages I opened [excerpts, source locations, dates, and versions]. Compare each sentence with its cited passage. Mark it directly supported, overbroad, contradicted, or unresolved. Quote the few words that establish the result and point out any scope, dates, or conditions the sentence dropped. If I’ve only given you a citation or a scan you can’t read, mark it unresolved and tell me which page to open. Return a table with the original sentence, finding, and smallest accurate correction.
Turn the checked notes into the final answer
Use your verified table and corrections to revise the draft and see exactly what changed.
Revise [draft] for [reader and decision] using only [checked claim table and corrections]. Keep the source location beside each supported decision claim. Call out any inference with the facts that led to it. Show unresolved conflicts with the applicable dates and give one next check for each gap. Preserve any condition that affects whether the answer applies. After the answer, give me a short change list showing what you narrowed or removed and why. Recheck that every remaining claim appears in the checked table. If one is missing, move it into the open items.
Troubleshooting
The citation exists but doesn't prove the wording. What now?
Quote the relevant clause in your verification notes. Narrow the claim to what that clause actually supports or record the stronger claim as an open question.
Two sources disagree. Which one wins?
Compare scope, effective dates, and which file governs the decision. Keep both claims visible until you can verify a precedence rule or perform a test.