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Introduction
Hi, welcome back. In the last two episodes Claude searched and researched for us. Now it's time to learn how to check the results. We'll recognize types of misinformation, judge how strong a source is, ask for exact quotes, and record everything on a fact-check sheet. Our example comes from Mr. Hendra at Cerdas Tutoring.
Step 1: Four types of misinformation
Fact-checking means making sure a claim has a solid basis. The goal isn't to doubt every piece of information, but to check the important ones before we use them. Important means information we'll share with others, use as the basis for a decision, or that involves other people's money or health. There are four common types of errors. First, made up: a claim that sounds convincing but has no source at all. Early in the class we called this hallucination. Second, out of date. The information was once true, but things have changed. For example, last year's registration schedule or a rule that has since been revised. Third, cut short or exaggerated. A quote is taken in part so its meaning changes, or a small number in a study becomes a big number in a headline. Fourth, a weak source: an ad, an anonymous post, or a site with no author's name. Claude can fall for all four, just like we can. The difference is that Claude can check quickly if we know how to ask. Before looking for sources, learn the warning signs in a message. First, dramatic round numbers, such as fifty percent, ten times more, or the word guaranteed. Second, the words proven or according to research, but with no study title, researcher, year, or institution. Third, pressure to share right away, such as share before it gets deleted. True information rarely needs to be rushed. Fourth, the message ends by selling something, such as a product link or an order number. One sign alone doesn't necessarily mean the message is false. But if there are two or more, that's an alarm to check more carefully before sharing.
Step 2: Judging the strength of a source
Not all sources are equally strong. The strongest is the original source: an institution's official site, a regulation document, or a study. Sources like these can be the basis for a decision. Next come media, meaning news that says where its information came from. Media are fairly reliable, but it's best to trace them back to the original source. Then there are sources with an interest, such as sellers' articles or sponsored content. Use them only as a lead, because the writer wants to sell something. The weakest are forwarded messages and anonymous posts. Don't use them until they're confirmed by a stronger source. We can ask Claude to use these levels. The task: find sources for a claim, then rate their strength. The claim is pasted into the data section. We replace this part in curly braces every time we use the template. The format asks for the source name, the date, the strength level, and the exact sentence quoted. That exact quote is the key to checking, as we'll see shortly. The limits matter: if there's no strong source, Claude must say so plainly and must not conclude more than the source says. Save this template in your prompt notes. With the same template, Laras can check a supplier's claims, Dewi can check claims in a vendor proposal, and Nadia can check data she'll use in her clients' content.
Step 3: Practice: checking a viral claim
Let's practice. Mr. Hendra from Cerdas Tutoring gets a forwarded message in the parents' group. It says: studying ten minutes before bed improves memory by fifty percent, proven by research. He wants to check it before sharing it. The first thing Claude does is very useful: it breaks the message into three separate claims. One message often mixes true claims with exaggerated ones. If you check it as a whole, you might decide it's all true or all false, and both would be wrong. Then Claude searches the web for each claim. The results are mixed. The first and second claims are supported by several sources. But the fifty percent figure isn't found in any source, so its status is unproven. The results in this video are a practice example, not health advice. Now the most important technique: ask for the exact quote. Mr. Hendra asks for the original sentence from source number one that supports the first claim. Claude shows the quote, then adds an honest note: that source doesn't say how many minutes of study, and gives no percentage. An exact quote shows clearly what the source really says. Mr. Hendra then asks how to explain this to the parents. Claude suggests a balanced message: the part with a basis is still shared, and the baseless number is corrected. Still, open source number one yourself before sending that message, because even Claude's translation or summary can be wrong.
Step 4: Recording it on a fact-check sheet
When there are many claims, record them on a fact-check sheet. Mr. Hendra makes a spreadsheet with five columns: claim, source, source strength, date, and status. First row: sleep strengthens memory, the source is strong, the status is true. Second row: reviewing material before bed helps. The source is fair, but it doesn't discuss a ten-minute duration, so the status is partly true. Third row: memory improves by fifty percent. No source was found, so it's unproven. Fourth row: the claim of being proven by research. The message doesn't name any study, so this claim is false. Claude can fill in a draft of this sheet, but the status column is best decided by a person after reading the quotes. The sheet also serves as a record if a parent asks. This spreadsheet can be reused for any research, from health claims to competitor prices. Just add a new row every time there's a claim to check. To stay consistent, use the same four statuses every time. True means supported by a strong source. Partly true means there's some truth to it, but with caveats, for example the number or the conditions are different. Unproven means no source supports it. That doesn't mean it's wrong, but it shouldn't be shared as fact yet. False means it contradicts a strong source. Telling unproven apart from false keeps us fair to information.
Step 5: Habits before publishing
Make it a habit to use this checklist before sharing information. First, split the message into separate claims. Second, find the original source for each important claim. Third, ask for an exact quote, not a summary. A summary can add meaning without meaning to. Fourth, check the source's date. Old information often circulates again as if it were new. Fifth, open at least one source yourself by clicking the citation number. Sixth, for health, legal, and financial matters, also ask a qualified expert. Claude helps you prepare your questions; it doesn't replace a doctor, a lawyer, or a tax consultant. It sounds like a lot, but in practice fact-checking doesn't have to take long. Start with one message split into several claims. Then three questions for each claim: what's the source, what's the exact sentence, and when was the source written? With Claude's help, five minutes is usually enough for a claim you're going to share. Five minutes that protect your business's reputation and your customers' trust.
Done!
We've learned the four types of misinformation, the levels of sources, the exact-quote technique, the fact-check sheet, and the checklist before sharing information. In the next episode we practice a kind of research that's very useful for business: comparing the prices and offers of Sunset Coffee's competitors. See you there!
Practice exercises
Try these on your own after watching to lock in what you learned.
Take one forwarded message and ask Claude to break it into separate claims
For each claim, ask for an exact quote from the source along with its date
Record the results on a fact-check sheet with the status true, partly true, unproven, or false
Ask the class material
Type a question or keyword; we find the part of this episode that explains it and jump the video there.
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Cerdas Inovasi Digital Team
Software developers, BIM & 3D engineers, and AI practitioners
53 video classes1,290 episodes
We build software, BIM models, games and AI automations for clients every day, and turn that hands-on work into step-by-step classes: every step is shown on screen and comes with a PDF guide you can keep.
