Verify the evidence
Verify claims against their sources
Distinguish supported claims, contradicted statements, and facts the source packet does not establish.
Lesson 2 of 6 in the recommended order · About 25 min (estimate)
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Practical AI glossary — terms and common confusions
- Model
- A learned component used to produce a result.
A drafting model is one part of a letter app; it is not the whole app.
- Application
- The software experience around components and services.
A letter app adds accounts, storage, and a Send button.
- Prompt
- Instructions and input supplied for a task.
“Summarize this notice in two bullets” specifies a task and shape, not a truth guarantee.
- Token
- A unit a model processes; it need not be a whole word.
A tokenizer can split a name into pieces; count using the actual system.
- Context
- Information available for the current request.
An earlier attachment may be absent even when its filename is visible.
- Training
- Adjusting a model using examples.
A training log differs from a conversation correction.
- Inference
- Using a trained model to produce a result.
Drafting another sentence does not by itself prove retraining.
- Retrieval
- Selecting material to supply to a task.
A retrieved notice still needs a relevance and date check.
- Embedding
- A numerical representation used to compare or organize items.
A similar search match is a candidate, not proof of the same meaning.
- Tool
- A function an application can call.
A calendar lookup can be read-only; finding an event is different from creating one.
- Agent
- Software that can choose and carry out steps toward a goal.
An agent still needs bounded permissions and checked action receipts.
- Hallucination
- Plausible generated content that is unsupported or false.
An invented opening time needs evidence or removal, even when phrased confidently.
- Evaluation
- Checking results against stated criteria.
Twenty checked examples establish a bounded result, not universal reliability.
- Multimodal
- Working with more than one kind of input or output.
A photo plus text does not prove every small label in the photo was read correctly.
Outcome
Support a research judgment with the current source passage and preserve conditions without confusing capacity with attendance.
Why it matters
Distinguish supported claims, contradicted statements, and facts the source packet does not establish. A correct response deserves acceptance, not a manufactured correction.
Concept
A citation is a pointer, not proof. Open the source and match the claim to what it actually establishes: the same subject, period, units, and conditions. A real source can be irrelevant to a particular claim.
Use three judgments. Accept a claim supported by the relevant evidence. Revise a claim contradicted by the evidence. Mark a claim unresolved when the packet cannot establish it. Missing evidence for lunch does not prove lunch is excluded. Capacity does not tell you how many people registered.
These fictional packets are complete for the exercise. In real research, you would also investigate the publisher, original context, publication and event dates, and conflicting evidence. A newer date alone does not make a source authoritative; the packet must explain what it updates.
Worked example
A fictional library notice says: “Saturday entry is free for registered members; visitors pay $6.” A draft says: “Saturday entry is free for everyone.” It is contradicted by the visitor charge. Repair it by retaining the member condition and visitor price. If the draft already says both, accept it. If the packet says nothing about parking, do not infer that parking is free.
One notice, three different judgments
Supported
Claim: Saturday entry is free for registered members; visitors pay $6.
The notice states both the member condition and the visitor price.
Next step- Accept the claim.
Both parts match the notice. A correct claim does not need an invented correction.
Contradicted
Claim: Saturday entry is free for everyone.
The notice says visitors pay $6.
Next step- Revise the claim.
Keep free entry limited to registered members and retain the visitor price.
Unresolved
Claim: Parking is free.
Hypothetical case: if the packet supplies no parking information…
Next step- Then mark the parking claim unresolved.
In that case, the missing fact establishes neither free parking nor a parking charge.
Practice and transfer
Use only the supplied fictional facts. Choose accept, revise, or evidence insufficient, then justify your decision. The next cases may be correct or flawed.
Assess the response
Use Accept when all material claims are supported. Use Revise when a supplied fact or requirement is contradicted. Use Evidence is insufficient when a key fact cannot be established either way. If a response contains both an unknown and a direct contradiction, choose Revise and explain both problems. Conflicting claims with no established authority remain insufficient; a claim does not become a governing fact merely because a source asserts it.
Some responses are fully supported. Others need correction or more evidence. Judge each on its sources; do not edit a correct answer just to change it.
Your written notes stay in this page and disappear when you leave. Only a self-reviewed completion can be saved to your learning account. These practice checks do not establish independent proficiency.
Practice
Case 1
It is 10 September in this fictional workshop scenario. Check the price statement using the supplied packet.
Source packet
- Source 1
- Archived flyer issued 1 August: Early registration is $40 through 31 August.
- Source 2
- Current registration notice issued 5 September: Standard registration is now $55.
Response to assess
Registering today costs $40 because the archived flyer lists that price.
Practice
Case 2
Consider the complete event briefing. Every source below refers to the same fictional workshop.
Source packet
- Source 1
- Event notice: The workshop takes place on 20 September. Registration closes 15 September unless places fill earlier.
- Source 2
- Venue guide: The training room can hold up to 30 participants.
Response to assess
The workshop is on 20 September. Registration closes on 15 September, or earlier if places fill.
Fresh transfer
Case 3
Consider a short fictional volunteer-session report. The task is to report attendance as a fraction of registrations, not infer why someone missed the session.
Source packet
- Source 1
- Final register: 18 people registered; 12 attended.
- Source 2
- The room has 24 seats.
Response to assess
Twelve of the eighteen registered people attended: two-thirds, or about 66.7%.
Fresh transfer
Case 4
A colleague asks whether a shuttle from the station is included in a fictional training-day booking. These are all the materials currently supplied.
Source packet
- Source 1
- Travel note: The training center is 2 km from the train station. Arrival is scheduled for 9 a.m.
- Source 2
- Booking page: Admission includes the training workbook. Transport arrangements are not stated.
Response to assess
A shuttle from the station is included because the travel note mentions the station.
Save your self-review
Completion records that you reviewed the cases. Your explanation and transfer performance need a facilitator to establish independent learning.
Sign in with your learning-center account to save completion.
Review the explanation for every case before saving.
Summary and next step
Take the checklist to a fresh task. Keep supported wording, repair only what the evidence warrants, and leave unresolved details explicit. Saving completion records self-review; independent learning needs a facilitator to review your explanation and transfer case.