Content Verification Skill
Provides an integrated workflow for ensuring content reliability.
Workflow Overview
┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐
│ Step 1 │ │ Step 2 │ │ Step 3 │
│ Scan │ → │ Verify │ → │ Reference │
│ │ │ │ │ │
└─────────────┘ └─────────────┘ └─────────────┘
See detailed guides:
- scan.md - Identify statements requiring verification
- verify.md - Verify facts with external sources
- reference.md - Manage references and citations
Quick Start
Run Full Workflow
User: Verify the content of this document
Run Specific Steps
User: Identify statements that need fact-checking in this article
User: Fact-check this numerical data
User: Organize the reference list
Step 1: Scan
Analyze the entire text to identify statements requiring verification.
Check Categories
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Factual statements | Historical facts, scientific facts, regulations |
| Quantitative claims | Numbers, statistics, dates, rankings |
| Definitive expressions | "always", "the only", "the largest" |
| Citations | Quotes, document references |
| Comparisons | "better than", "generally" |
Output Format
## Verification Targets
### Priority: High
| # | Statement | Type | Verification Needed |
|---|-----------|------|---------------------|
| 1 | "..." | Numerical | Verify source |
See scan.md for details.
Step 2: Verify
Verify identified statements using reliable external sources.
Verification Process
- Identify sources: Gather candidates via web search
- Retrieve actual content: Use WebFetch or curl to confirm
- Judge: Check consistency, accuracy, context, currency
Important: Don't Trust AI Search Results Blindly
# When WebFetch is blocked
curl -s -L "https://example.com/page" | head -200
# Check Wayback Machine for archived versions
curl -s "https://archive.org/wayback/available?url=example.com/page"
Verdict Criteria
| Verdict | Condition |
|---|---|
| ✅ Accurate | Confirmed by reliable source, content matches |
| ⚠️ Needs Revision | Mostly accurate but requires minor corrections |
| ❌ Incorrect | Contradicts facts or significantly misleading |
| ❓ Unverifiable | No reliable source found or inaccessible |
See verify.md for details.
Step 3: Reference
After verification, manage references according to project specifications.
Tasks
- Check project specifications: Citation style, placement
- Add to reference list: Register confirmed sources
- Add cross-references: Footnotes/inline/numbered references
Citation Format Examples
<!-- Footnote style -->
Japan's population is approximately 120 million[^1].
[^1]: Statistics Bureau of Japan "Population Estimates" 2024
<!-- Inline style -->
Japan's population is approximately 120 million (Statistics Bureau of Japan, 2024).
See reference.md for details.
Verifying Existing References
When the document already has references, also check:
Checklist
- Links are alive (no 404 errors)
- Cited content matches the source
- Citations are used in proper context
- Source information is current
Handling Broken Links
# Check status code
curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" "https://example.com/page"
# Get alternative URL from Wayback Machine
curl -s "https://archive.org/wayback/available?url=example.com/page"
Usage Examples
User: Verify the content of README.md and organize references
User: Check if the citations in this paper are correct
User: Verify the items identified in Issue #45
Output Report Format
# Content Verification Report
## Target File
- path/to/document.md
## Verification Summary
| Items | ✅ Accurate | ⚠️ Needs Revision | ❌ Incorrect | ❓ Unverifiable |
|-------|-------------|-------------------|--------------|-----------------|
| 10 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
## Detailed Results
[Verification results for each item...]
## Reference Management Status
- [ ] Reference list updated
- [ ] Cross-references added in text
- [ ] Links verified