All worked examples

Fact-check against sources

Sample

Five claims tested against quoted passages, with two wrong figures and one claim no source backs.

Sample results: runs and scores on this page are illustrations while testing is set up. How we test

What goes in: the draft and its sources
A youth soccer league update, and the records it should rest on
Draft: The league grew from 18 teams to 26 this spring.
Draft: We opened a second field on April 4.
Draft: Registration rose 30%, to 512 players.
Draft: Nearly all our volunteer coaches finished the safety course.
Draft: We are now the biggest league in the county.
Source, teams: 18 last spring, 24 this spring.
Source, fields: second field opened April 4.
Source, players: 410 last spring, 512 this spring.
Source, coaches: 34 volunteer coaches, 31 finished the safety course.
Source, other leagues: not counted.
Next: the first step runs
Step 1List every claim in the draft
Step 2Find the passage for each claim
Step 3Give each claim a verdict
Step 4Write the fact-check report

What each check found

  1. List every claim in the draft
    Every claim is quoted word for word from the draft (A plain rule)
    ProblemFirst try, claim 3: quoted "Registration was up 30%". The draft does not say that.
    CheckSecond try: all 5 quotes are in the draft word for word.
    Failed once, so the step ran again with the problem pointed out. Passed.
  2. Find the passage for each claim
    Every passage is quoted word for word from the sources (A plain rule)
    CheckAll 5 passages are in the sources word for word.
    Passed, on to the next step.
  3. Give each claim a verdict
    Each verdict is one of the four allowed words (A plain rule)
    CheckAll 5 verdicts are one of the four allowed words.
    Passed, on to the last step.
  4. Write the fact-check report
    Every fix row is filled in (A plain rule)
    CheckAll 4 fix rows have a claim, what the sources say and suggested wording.
    Passed, on to the final checks.
  5. Finished
    You decide what to do with each fix (You check this one)
    Your turn. This check is yours.
Use this templateChange it in the Editor

More to step through

Turn meeting notes into decisions and actionsMessy notes in, a clean record out, with the one gap flagged instead of guessed.Write a summary of a long documentA long report split into parts, each part summarized, one wrong number caught and fixed.Review a draft before you send itOne draft read from two angles, with two claims the sources do not back, ranked into a fix list.Scope a job before you startA vague request turned into what is in, what is out, what done looks like and when to stop.Compare options and get a recommendationThree options on one table, the tie dropped, one recommendation and the runner-up's case.Build your "how I like work done" fileAnswers turned into rules, tested on a real task, one rule reworded, then one file to paste.Draft three versions and pick the bestThree versions of one text, each rated against your criteria, and the winner picked by the first criterion.Find themes in commentsEight comments labeled, grouped into three themes and counted, each theme backed by two real quotes.Remove personal informationNine details swapped for placeholders, nothing else changed, and a short list of what a person must still check.See a workflow runThe parts, lit one at a time.