Checking an answer — Claude

1In one sentence

Claude can be confidently wrong, so for anything that matters you check it, and there are three quick ways to do that.

2New words

Source — where a fact comes from: a web page, a document, a report. An answer with sources can be checked; one without cannot.
Verify — confirm that something is true by looking at a second place.
Confidence — how sure Claude is. It can tell you if you ask, and it is often honest about doubt when asked directly.

3Why you would want it

Claude's writing always sounds sure. That is a feature when it is right and a trap when it is wrong. Numbers, dates, names, laws, prices and medical or legal facts are where mistakes hurt. A 60-second check turns Claude from "a tool I don't fully trust" into "a tool I know how to trust".

4The three checks

Ask for sources: Give me the source for each fact, with a link. Then open one link and see if it says what Claude said.
Check one fact yourself: pick the most important number or claim and look it up on a page you already trust.
Ask about doubt: Which parts of this answer are you least sure about, and why? Claude will usually point at the weak spots itself.

5Try it now

Ask: What are the current rules for carrying liquids in hand luggage on flights from [your country]? Give sources.
Open one of the links. Does the page say the same thing?
Ask: What in your answer might be out of date?

6What you will see

An answer with a small source tag after each fact (click one to open the page), and a note that one page could not be read:

The answer with source tags on each fact

Then, when you ask what might be out of date, an honest list: which parts rest on older articles, which page it could not open, and what you should check yourself before flying:

Claude's own list of what might be out of date

7Watch out

A link is not proof. Open it. Occasionally Claude cites a page that does not quite say what it claims.
For health, legal and money decisions, Claude is a starting point, not the final word. Check with a professional.

8Go further

Make this a habit for anything you will send or publish: sources, one fact checked, one doubt question. It takes a minute. Chapter 1.3 (web search) and Chapter 1.4 (Research mode) show how to get sourced answers from the start.