Source Verification
Source Reputation Tiers
Validate every source against the trusted source domains provided via prompt context.
| Tier |
Score |
Examples |
Verification |
| High |
1.0 |
Academic (.edu, arxiv.org, ieee.org), Official (.gov, w3.org, ietf.org), Tech docs (developer.mozilla.org), OSS foundations (apache.org, cncf.io) |
Standard citation |
| Medium-High |
0.8 |
Industry leaders (martinfowler.com, stackoverflow.com, infoq.com) |
Cross-ref with 1+ high-tier |
| Medium |
0.6 |
Community (medium.com verified experts, dev.to, hashnode.com) |
Author verification + 3-source cross-ref |
| Excluded |
0.0 |
Unverified blogs (*.blogspot.com, wordpress.com), quora.com, pastebin.com |
Reject, log warning, find alternative |
Cross-Referencing Methodology
- Identify the specific assertion to verify
- Find 2+ independent sources not citing each other (avoid circular refs)
- Verify independence: different authors, publishers, organizations
- Compare: agree on substance (minor wording differences OK)
- Document: verified / partially verified / unverified per finding
Circular Reference Detection
- Source B cites Source A = one source, not two
- Multiple sources referencing single study = cite the original
- Prefer primary over secondary sources
Bias Detection Checklist
Evaluate before citing:
- Commercial interest: selling related product/service?
- Sponsorship: sponsored/funded content?
- Conflict of interest: author benefits from conclusion?
- Geographic/cultural bias: limited to single region?
- Temporal bias: publication dates skewed to specific era?
- Cherry-picking: contradictory evidence acknowledged?
- Logical fallacies: correlation as causation, authority without evidence
When bias detected: note in Source Analysis, reduce confidence.
Citation Format
[1] {Author/Organization}. "{Title}". {Publication/Website}. {Date}. {Full URL}. Accessed {YYYY-MM-DD}.
Required Metadata Per Source
Source URL | Domain | Access date | Reputation score (from tiers) | Verification status
Paywalled or Restricted Sources
Mark "[Paywalled]"/"[Restricted Access]" | Provide URL | Find open-access alternative | Note in Knowledge Gaps
1---2name: nw-source-verification3description: Source reputation tiers, cross-referencing methodology, bias detection, and citation format requirements4---5
6# Source Verification
7
8## Source Reputation Tiers
9
10Validate every source against the trusted source domains provided via prompt context.
11
12| Tier | Score | Examples | Verification |
13|------|-------|---------|-------------|
14| High | 1.0 | Academic (*.edu, arxiv.org, ieee.org), Official (*.gov, w3.org, ietf.org), Tech docs (developer.mozilla.org), OSS foundations (apache.org, cncf.io) | Standard citation |
15| Medium-High | 0.8 | Industry leaders (martinfowler.com, stackoverflow.com, infoq.com) | Cross-ref with 1+ high-tier |
16| Medium | 0.6 | Community (medium.com verified experts, dev.to, hashnode.com) | Author verification + 3-source cross-ref |
17| Excluded | 0.0 | Unverified blogs (*.blogspot.com, wordpress.com), quora.com, pastebin.com | Reject, log warning, find alternative |
18
19## Cross-Referencing Methodology
20
211. **Identify** the specific assertion to verify
222. **Find** 2+ independent sources not citing each other (avoid circular refs)
233. **Verify independence**: different authors, publishers, organizations
244. **Compare**: agree on substance (minor wording differences OK)
255. **Document**: verified / partially verified / unverified per finding
26
27### Circular Reference Detection
28- Source B cites Source A = one source, not two
29- Multiple sources referencing single study = cite the original
30- Prefer primary over secondary sources
31
32## Bias Detection Checklist
33
34Evaluate before citing:
351. **Commercial interest**: selling related product/service?
362. **Sponsorship**: sponsored/funded content?
373. **Conflict of interest**: author benefits from conclusion?
384. **Geographic/cultural bias**: limited to single region?
395. **Temporal bias**: publication dates skewed to specific era?
406. **Cherry-picking**: contradictory evidence acknowledged?
417. **Logical fallacies**: correlation as causation, authority without evidence
42
43When bias detected: note in Source Analysis, reduce confidence.
44
45## Citation Format
46
47```
48[1] {Author/Organization}. "{Title}". {Publication/Website}. {Date}. {Full URL}. Accessed {YYYY-MM-DD}.
49```
50
51### Required Metadata Per Source
52Source URL | Domain | Access date | Reputation score (from tiers) | Verification status
53
54### Paywalled or Restricted Sources
55Mark "[Paywalled]"/"[Restricted Access]" | Provide URL | Find open-access alternative | Note in Knowledge Gaps
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