How to Compare Sources with AI Without Hiding Disagreement

Use AI to organize a comparison, then verify it against the sources. Agreement between several pages does not necessarily mean independent confirmation: they may all be quoting the same document.

Define the exact claim

Write the claim as a question that a source could answer. “Is this approach effective?” is less precise than asking what outcome was measured, over which period and under what conditions. Keep the question consistent while reading each source.

Illustrative example, not a real finding: three articles describe a new transport trial. Two link to the same announcement; the third contains a separately collected observation. Your comparison should record that difference instead of treating all three as independent measurements.

Compare the same fields

For each source, record the original URL, publisher, publication date, underlying observation period, evidence type and exact supporting passage. Add a field for limitations and for who collected the evidence. Mark anything you cannot establish as unknown.

Ask the assistant to separate direct quotations from paraphrases. Do not accept a quotation until you find those words in the original. For background, read how to preserve a web source.

Follow the chain to the original

If a page attributes its key claim to another publication, follow that link. Record the original source once, then list the pages that repeat it. A missing or inaccessible original is a limitation, not an invitation to reconstruct its contents.

The primary-source guide provides a method for this step. A primary source is not automatically accurate; it simply gives you a closer view of the underlying statement or observation.

Keep disagreement visible

Ask whether the sources use different definitions, time periods, samples or measures. Separate a genuine disagreement about the same question from answers to different questions. If the available evidence cannot resolve the disagreement, say so.

Avoid asking the assistant to select a winner only because one source has a more confident tone or a longer summary. Describe what each source supports and where the evidence ends.

Produce an auditable answer

An answer should let a reader move from a claim to its supporting source. Use three short sections: what the evidence supports, what remains uncertain and what to verify next. Keep original links and observation dates alongside the comparison.

DeepSearch Research can help work through a source-based question; AI Chat is another starting point for outlining or refining the comparison. Executing these tools requires paid access. Reading this guide is free, and neither a generated answer nor a source count guarantees correctness.