Check quotations and attribution in an AI draft

Treat every quotation in an AI draft as a claim that needs checking against the original. Verify the words, the speaker, and the context. If you cannot find the passage, remove the quotation marks and investigate; do not keep a plausible sentence because it sounds like something the person might have said.

Make a quotation ledger

Record the proposed quotation, the source URL or document, the exact page or section, and the surrounding context. Keep a separate field for whether the wording is exact or a paraphrase. A citation to a whole website does not establish that a quoted sentence appears there.

A fictional attribution problem

A report says: “Participants described the scheduling form as confusing.” The draft changes it to a named participant saying, “The form was impossible to use.” The draft has created a direct quote, intensified the criticism, and assigned a speaker. All three changes need correction.

A supported paraphrase would be: “The report says participants found the scheduling form confusing.” If the report includes a sample size or qualification, preserve it when it affects the interpretation.

Use AI to locate checks, not certify truth

Extract every quotation and attributed statement in this draft.
For each, record the named speaker, claimed source, and whether it is direct or paraphrased.
Flag missing locations and wording that appears unsupported by the supplied source.
Do not invent quotations or treat an inaccessible link as verified.
Draft: [paste]
Source excerpts with locations: [paste]

Check context and permission separately

A passage can be quoted accurately and still be misleading if surrounding context changes its meaning. Read enough of the original to understand what it refers to. Do not stitch fragments into a sentence the speaker did not say.

Copyright, confidentiality, and publication permission are separate questions from accuracy. Follow the rules of your publication and obtain appropriate permission where needed. Keep the source ledger with the editorial record so another reviewer can repeat the check. If only a paraphrase is necessary, use your own wording, cite the source, and avoid presenting the paraphrase as an exact quotation.