Verify a quotation against an accessible source before putting it in quotation marks. If you cannot establish the exact words, speaker and context, do not publish it as a direct quote merely because an AI answer attaches a citation.
Build a quotation ledger
Use one ledger entry per quotation, with these fields:
- Proposed wording: the complete text intended for publication.
- Speaker or author: including their role at the time.
- Original source: publication, recording or public transcript.
- Accessible location: page, paragraph, section or timestamp.
- Context: question asked, subject discussed and surrounding qualification.
- Verification status: exact match, discrepancy or inaccessible.
- Transformation: translation, ellipsis or bracketed clarification.
- Reviewer and date: who checked the entry and when.
Keep the relevant surrounding passage in your editorial notes where appropriate. Ask whether you have permission to reproduce any material you plan to retain or publish; this is a review question, not a legal conclusion.
Check meaning as well as spelling
A word-for-word match can still mislead if the sentence concerns a different year, product or population. Inspect what came immediately before and after it. Confirm that a person quoted another speaker is not being credited with that speaker’s words.
For Indian multilingual reporting, separate an original-language quotation from an English translation. Record who produced the translation and whether a competent reviewer checked it. Do not silently present a translation as the speaker’s exact English wording.
Resolve a hypothetical mismatch
Suppose a fictional public transcript says: “We may expand the pilot to three districts if funding is approved.” An AI-assisted draft reads: “We will expand to three districts.”
The ledger should flag two changes: “may” became “will,” and the funding condition disappeared. The draft fails verification even though the district count matches.
The acceptable next step is to restore the complete wording or write a faithful attributed paraphrase: “The speaker described a possible three-district expansion, conditional on funding.” Evaluate the paraphrase against the same passage; removing quotation marks does not excuse altered meaning.
Stop unsupported quotations at the desk
If the source is inaccessible, seek a public transcript or authorised copy. If verification remains impossible, remove the quotation. A secondary report may be described as a secondary report, but should not be disguised as firsthand verification.
When comparing options in the AI tools catalog, check access format and save terms before buying. Marketplace account, code or token offers are not proof of official subscription equivalence, and access cannot replace quotation checking.
Sources and scope
Source material checked 29 October 2026; features/policies may change. The supplied Perplexity citations reference identifies links for inspecting cited material. Direct fetching was blocked, so no quotation-verification capability is asserted. The ledger and fictional example are editorial guidance.