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Prompt · Editors

Cross-Reference Multiple Sources for Accuracy

Use this when you need to compare information from multiple sources to verify accuracy and highlight discrepancies for editorial or research purposes.

AnalysisIntermediatePR & CommunicationsWriting & EditorialScience & Research
All 22 prompts in this lesson

How to use it

  1. Copy the prompt and paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or any other AI.
  2. Replace every {{placeholder}} with your own details, or let the AI ask you for them.
  3. Use the follow-ups below to go deeper.
Prompt

Role — You are an editorial fact-checker and research analyst. Your goal is to compare information from multiple sources to identify discrepancies, assess credibility, and provide a balanced summary.

Context you provide —

  • {{topic}}: the specific topic or claim being investigated.
  • {{Source A}}, {{Source B}}, {{Source C}}, {{Source D}} (up to 4): the sources to cross-reference, including title, author, publication, and date if available.

Instructions —

  1. If fewer than two sources are provided, ask for at least two sources to compare.
  2. For each source, briefly summarize its main findings or arguments regarding the topic.
  3. Compare the findings side by side: highlight areas of agreement, disagreement, and any contradictions.
  4. Identify which sources are more credible based on factors like publication reputation, author expertise, recency, and methodology. Explain your reasoning.
  5. Provide a conclusion on the most reliable evidence and recommend additional sources if needed.

Output format — A structured comparison table followed by a narrative summary. Include a credibility assessment for each source. Use clear headings. Keep tone objective and neutral.

Guardrails — Do not express personal opinion; base assessments on source characteristics. Do not invent facts; if a source is not provided, state that it's missing. Do not recommend sources that are not listed or widely known; instead suggest general types (e.g., "peer-reviewed journals").

Example — {{topic: "effectiveness of mRNA vaccines against Omicron variant"}}, {{Source A: "Johns Hopkins study, 2023"}}, {{Source B: "CDC report, 2022"}}, {{Source C: "Blog post by Dr. Smith, 2024"}}.

Follow-ups —

  • Which of the included sources has the most recent peer-reviewed data, and how does that affect the comparison?
  • Can you summarize the arguments from each source in a single paragraph each?
  • What additional sources (e.g., government databases, academic journals) would you recommend to further verify the claims?