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Assume an AI chatbot’s factual claims are unverified until you check them. Break the response into individual claims, open and assess its citations, confirm important points against authoritative sources, and seek independent confirmation or expert advice when the stakes warrant it. Fluent wording and confident tone are not evidence.
1. Separate checkable claims from opinions
Read the answer one sentence at a time and mark statements that could be confirmed or disproved. Look for names, dates, numbers, quotations, explanations of cause and effect, descriptions of laws or policies, and statements about what a source says. Keep recommendations and opinions separate from the factual premises they rely on.
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The House of Commons Library advises identifying each fact or claim and verifying it independently. This makes the task manageable: rather than asking whether an entire answer “sounds right,” you can ask what evidence supports each specific assertion.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2. Open every citation and test what it supports
Do not treat a list of references as proof. Open each link and check that the page exists, who published it, when it was published or updated, and whether it supports the exact claim attached to it. A source about the same general topic may not substantiate the particular date, number, quote, or conclusion in the chatbot’s sentence.
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- Check that the citation leads to the referenced material, not merely a search page or unrelated page.
- Find the passage, table, or data that supports the claim; read enough surrounding context to avoid mistaking a qualification or exception.
- Compare the chatbot’s wording with the source. If the source is narrower, more tentative, or says something different, do not repeat the chatbot’s stronger version.
- If a citation is missing, broken, fabricated, or only loosely related, treat the claim as unsupported until you find evidence elsewhere.
OpenAI cautions that chatbots can fabricate citations, while the Government of Canada’s guidance for AI help applications emphasizes linking to the correct authoritative page so users can review the underlying information.
3. Trace important claims to authoritative or original evidence
When a claim matters, look for the source closest to the evidence. The right source depends on the claim:
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- For official figures, look for the relevant official statistics or dataset.
- For current rules, check the applicable legislation, regulator, or government department.
- For a research finding, consult the original study or dataset where possible, rather than relying only on a summary.
- For an explanation or synthesis, a reputable briefing can help, but check whether it represents its underlying evidence accurately.
The House of Commons Library’s guidance identifies official statistics, primary legislation, government departments, recognised regulators, peer-reviewed research, and its own briefings as examples of reputable sources. A primary source is not automatically complete or suitable for every question, so assess what it actually covers.
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4. Evaluate each source, not just its label
For each source, consider its authority and expertise, the evidence it presents, its relevance to the exact question, and whether its perspective or incentives matter. Check whether another reader could trace the source’s conclusion back to the evidence. A familiar name or official-looking page is not enough if it does not address the claim.
The House of Commons Library’s source-evaluation guidance recommends cross-checking when you are uncertain. If a source is unclear, narrow, or advocacy-driven, look for another source with relevant expertise and transparent evidence.
5. Match the date, jurisdiction, and scope
A source can be reliable and still fail to support an answer because it is out of date or covers a different context. Check the publication or update date, the country or jurisdiction, the version of a rule or product, and the population or circumstances addressed. Make sure those details match the chatbot’s claim.
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This is especially important for legal and policy descriptions, statistics, and advice that may change over time. The House of Commons Library’s AI-checking guidance specifically recommends checking whether claims are current and independently confirming them.
6. Corroborate consequential or disputed claims
For claims that are surprising, contested, or consequential, seek confirmation from another genuinely independent source. Several articles that all repeat the same original report do not necessarily provide independent corroboration. Trace summaries back to their underlying evidence when possible.
If you cannot find adequate support, label the point unverified and do not rely on it as established fact. The Commons Library author Chris Rhodes writes: “The best guard against hallucinations from AI is to check everything generated carefully, ideally with an expert.” For a specialized question or a decision with serious consequences, consult an appropriately qualified professional; a general fact-checking workflow is not a substitute for medical, legal, financial, or other specialist advice.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Use a simple verification record
For a complex answer, a short claim-and-evidence record can prevent one checked citation from creating false confidence in the rest of the response:
| Claim | Evidence to check | Result |
|---|---|---|
| The specific factual statement | Direct passage, official data, original study, or other suitable evidence | Supported, contradicted, or unverified |
| Its date and scope | Publication or update date, jurisdiction, version, and population | Matches or does not match the claim |
| Its corroboration | A genuinely independent source, if the claim warrants one | Confirmed, disputed, or not independently confirmed |
Fact-checking reduces the chance of relying on an error; it cannot guarantee that a claim is true. Sources may be incomplete, and multiple pages can repeat the same mistake. The question is whether the claims are supported by suitable evidence—not whether the chatbot’s prose looks machine-generated. AI-detection tools do not establish factual accuracy.
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