Triangulate citations instead of trusting the first source
Citation checking should ask three questions: does the source exist, does it support the exact claim, and would another independent source phrase the same claim the same way?
When sources disagree, the disagreement is the content. Do not ask the model to hide the conflict behind a confident synthesis. Ask it to name the split and explain what would settle it.
Triangulation is not needed for every sentence. Reserve it for claims that drive decisions: dates, quotes, prices, medical or legal facts, benchmarks, and allegations.
Aha moment
A second independent source often reveals whether a citation supports the claim or merely resembles it.
Try this
Triangulate dates, quotes, benchmarks, allegations, and high-impact facts before presenting them as settled.
Watch for
- Citations that support a nearby but different claim
- Two sources that repeat the same upstream source
- Disagreements collapsed into a false consensus