Review the Citations, Don't Trust the Summary
What it is
A verification habit: treat a Deep Research report as a well-sourced draft, not a final truth — open the citations behind the claims you'll actually rely on and confirm they say what the summary claims.
Why it works
Deep Research cites sources, which reads as authoritative, but a citation can be misread, outdated, or made to sound more definitive than the source supports. The summary is a synthesis, and synthesis can drift from the underlying evidence. Spot-checking the load-bearing claims catches the drift before it becomes your decision.
When to use it
Before acting on or publishing anything from a research report — especially numbers, quotes, legal or medical points, and any surprising or convenient finding.
When not to use it
Low-stakes background reading where being roughly right is fine and no decision hinges on the exact claims.
Prompt
From this report, list the 5 claims my decision most depends on, each with its source link and the exact passage it rests on. I'll check those sources directly before relying on the rest.Example
A report states a market 'grew 30%'; opening the citation shows the source said 30% over three years, not one — you catch it before it lands in a pitch deck.
Common mistakes
- Copying a cited figure into a decision without opening the source.
- Assuming a citation's presence means the claim is accurate.
- Checking nothing because the report 'looks thorough and referenced'.