The source log

Keep every research claim tied to a source you've opened: the claim, where it came from, the exact wording and how sure you are.

Time: About 20 minutes
Version: 1.0, updated 12 Nov 2026
From the guide: Research properly with AI

How to use it

1Write your question first, so you only collect what helps answer it.
2Log each claim you'd use, with a source you've opened and read yourself.
3If a source reports someone else's work, trace it to the original and log that too.

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1. The question

What I need to know, and why

What would change my mind

2. Claims and sources

One row per claim. Confidence: High (original source, read in full), Medium (reliable secondary source), Low (couldn't trace).

Source log

	Claim	Source (and original, if different)	Exact wording	Confidence
Claim 1
Claim 2
Claim 3
Claim 4

3. Trace check

Before I use these claims

I've opened every source myself, not just the AI's summary of it
Every claim that came from a summary or news story is traced to its original
The wording I'd use doesn't say more than the source does
Claims I couldn't trace are marked Low or dropped

My answer, in two sentences

AI can help you find and read sources. It can't be the source. Anything you'd put your name to should trace to something you've opened yourself.

How to use it

One useful email a week.