A concise answer is useful only if a reader can tell where its important claims came from and whether the source still applies. Attach provenance to claims, not just a bibliography at the bottom.
Keep a claim-source record
For each factual statement, store: exact claim, source URL or document, publication or update date, date checked, supporting passage, market covered, and reviewer. Mark whether it is direct evidence, an inference, or a general example. If the source does not support the full sentence, narrow the claim.
| Claim type | Better evidence record |
|---|---|
| Current platform setting | Official help document, checked date, interface/version if relevant |
| Market rule | Official authority or qualified legal review, jurisdiction and effective date |
| Performance result | First-party dataset, metric definition, period, denominator, and limitations |
| General method | Explain the reasoning; do not dress an opinion as a platform rule |
Handle stale evidence
Set a review trigger for changes that can invalidate the claim: interface release, policy revision, price change, or new measurement definition. If no reliable current source exists, say what is uncertain and avoid a confident recommendation. A visible “checked on” date helps only if someone actually rechecks the source.
Make the answer citable without overclaiming
State the direct answer, the conditions that change it, and the source beside the claim. Keep the citation URL accessible and relevant. Do not imply that structured data, a citation, or answer-first formatting guarantees inclusion in an AI response. Citation and visibility vary by system and query.
Optional AI-assisted work brief — Answer provenance record
For every answer, retain the source title, owner, version or date, exact supporting passage, scope, and retrieval time. Flag conflicting or stale sources and require a human to resolve them. Make the answer traceable without exposing confidential material. If no source supports a claim, return a question or explicit unknown instead of a confident completion.
Worked example — Trace an answer to a current source
A workflow answer says a campaign is eligible. Trace it to the current policy page, the relevant condition, and the date checked. If the policy page conflicts with an internal summary, stop and ask the owner to resolve the mismatch. Preserve the citation in the output so a reviewer can reproduce the conclusion without trusting model memory.
AI disclosure: AI tools assisted with drafting. This guide describes a source-control method, not a verified citation outcome.