The Bottom Line
- Never trust a claim you can’t trace. In 60 seconds, you can validate whether a source is real, relevant, and not being misrepresented.
- For AI tools, the risk is not only hallucination; it’s ‘citation laundering’ (real source, wrong claim).
- Use a 3-check sequence: source authenticity → claim alignment → recency/context.
Citations are not automatically proof. Many modern tools market “answers with references”, but the practical question is: do those references actually support the specific claim you’re about to rely on? This toolkit gives you a rapid, non-clinical verification routine designed for clinicians using point-of-care tools or AI search.
The 60-second routine
1
Check 1 — Authenticity (15 seconds)
Open the source link. Confirm it is what it says it is (official organisation page, journal, guideline). If you can’t open it, downgrade the answer immediately.
2
Check 2 — Alignment (30 seconds)
Scan the source for the exact claim being made. If the tool cited a broad document, locate the relevant section heading. If you can’t find support quickly, the citation isn’t doing its job.
3
Check 3 — Context (15 seconds)
Ask: does this source apply to my context (UK/NHS vs other), and is it current enough for the decision type? If context mismatch exists, treat it as background, not authority.
Citation laundering (the subtle failure mode)
A tool can cite a real guideline or paper while making a claim that isn’t actually in that source. This is why you verify the strongest claim, not the existence of a link.
SourceExample of ‘citation-first’ positioning: OpenEvidence (official)
Open Link SourceExample of ‘no hallucinations’ positioning: Praktiki (official)
Open Link SourceExample of ‘science-based answers’ positioning: MediSearch (official)
Open Link