Source Trail Maintenance Flow

# Source Trail Intake Checklist

A source trail starts before the summary is written. The intake step decides whether a link is being used as evidence, background, definition, or a prompt for later verification. If those roles are mixed, a public note can look cited while still being hard to audit. This checklist is for turning loose links into records that another reader can inspect later.

## 1. Name the claim before saving the link
Do not save a source as “good article” or “official page.” Write the claim it supports. For example, “used for current application deadline,” “used for definition of eligibility,” or “used only for historical context.” The same link may support one claim but not another.

## 2. Separate primary and secondary value
A primary source may establish the rule, while a secondary source may explain how people experience it. Both can be useful, but they should not be treated as interchangeable. If a government page says the threshold and a forum explains confusion around it, the threshold should cite the government page and the confusion should cite the community pattern only as texture.

## 3. Capture the checked date and volatility
The checked date is not decorative. It tells the next editor whether they need to re-open the link. Add a simple volatility label: stable, seasonal, fast-moving, or unknown. A stable definition can age gracefully; a fast-moving price, API field, or eligibility date cannot.

## 4. Preserve the weakest point
Every source trail should include one limitation. Maybe the page is official but unclear, current but not authoritative, or detailed but region-specific. Naming the weak point reduces overclaiming later.

## Example
Claim: “This feature requires manual export before deletion.”
Source role: official help page for current behavior.
Checked: 2026-06-22.
Volatility: medium, because product settings change.
Limitation: page does not explain enterprise account exceptions.

This small packet is more valuable than a bare URL because it explains why the source exists in the record.

Source Trail Intake Checklist

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