Ask for sources, then check them yourself
AI can invent citations that look real. Ask for a source behind each claim, then open the links and confirm they say what the AI says.
What's the average employee turnover rate?
I'm putting together a short briefing on employee turnover for our leadership team. Give me three or four key facts about average turnover rates. For each fact, include the source: the organization that published it, the title of the report or page, the year, and a link. If you're not confident a source exists, say so instead of guessing. Mark any figure you can't tie to a specific source as "unverified".
Why it works
AI assistants can produce citations that look convincing but don't exist, or that don't say what the answer claims. Asking for a source behind each claim, and permission to say "I'm not sure", makes made-up details easier to spot. Then open every link you plan to use and check that the page exists and supports the claim.
Try it now
Click a highlighted part and type your own details. Press Enter to jump to the next one, then copy.
I'm researching [topic] for [who it's for]. Give me the key facts, and for each one include the source: who published it, the title, the year and a link. If you're not confident a source exists, say so. Mark anything you can't tie to a specific source as "unverified".
Variations
Check its own work
Go back through your answer. For each claim, quote the sentence from the source that supports it. If you can't, remove the claim and tell me.
Stick to what I gave you
Answer using only the report I've pasted below. After each point, quote the line it came from. If the report doesn't cover something, say "not in the report".
Know where to look
Instead of giving me numbers, tell me which organizations publish reliable data on [topic] and what their reports are usually called, so I can look them up myself.
Based on: Anthropic, "Reduce hallucinations". Last checked October 3, 2026.
Liked that? One tip like this every week.
A short email with one habit, the prompt to copy and why it works. Nothing else.
One email a week. Unsubscribe in one click.