How do you check whether an AI citation actually supports the answer?
Choose one claim you intend to use, open its source and locate the supporting passage. Compare the population, conditions and conclusion. A link to a familiar institution is not sufficient verification.
Check a sentence against its source
- Save the proposed claim.
- Open the cited page and locate relevant wording.
- Compare what it says. If an answer calls an activity suitable for every beginner but the source contains only attendee impressions, the link does not establish that universal scope.
Handle partial support explicitly
Narrow the sentence to what the source supports or seek additional evidence. Do not add effect sizes to a source discussing only a general concept. If the page cannot be read, mark the claim unverified. Asking the same AI to reassure you is not a substitute for inspecting the underlying material and can keep the checking process circular.
A worksheet you can use
Claim: __. Source URL: __. Supporting passage: __. Scope difference: __. Revised wording: __. Open issue: __.
Can I keep a sentence that is half supported?
Separate its supported and unsupported parts, and retain wording whose limits are clear.
Evidence and scope
This is a general information-checking exercise, not a replacement for high-stakes professional judgement.
DIG introduces checking beyond a website. This is not a lesson translation. Digital Inquiry Group — Teaching Lateral Reading
Sources and further reading
This collection in Chinese and English · Life possibilities library
