TL;DR
- Peer Review includes a Source Audit Report, so you can see which references are real, reachable, and worth trusting.
- Every source is checked in two tiers: a fast resolution pass, and a deeper lookup when a source cannot be resolved directly.
- Results are easy to triage with clear statuses: Verified, Probable, and Unverified, plus confidence and source metrics.
Source Audit Reports: Transparent Citation Verification in Peer Review
When you run a Peer Review in Clarity, you get a Source Audit Report that shows how Clarity verifies and validates every reference in the document. It is designed to answer one question fast: can you trust the sources behind the content, before you act on it or share it.
This report is especially helpful for AI assisted drafts where citations can be broken, misformatted, misaligned, or fabricated. Instead of guessing, you can see what was verified, what looks likely but needs a quick manual check, and what could not be confirmed.
If you are new to Peer Review, start here: How Clarity works.
Why Source Audit matters
Bad sources are a silent failure mode. A document can sound polished while relying on dead links, mismatched citations, or references that never existed. Source Audit makes verification visible and actionable, so you can move faster with confidence.
- Reduce risk: catch unreliable references before they undermine credibility.
- Save time: triage sources quickly instead of manually checking everything.
- Improve trust: show a defensible verification trail when accuracy matters.
Verification tiers
Tier A: Resolution Check
Tier A is the first pass over every source. Clarity attempts to resolve each reference directly to confirm it exists.
- URLs: Clarity sends an HTTP request to confirm a live page.
- DOIs: Clarity resolves through doi.org.
- ISBNs: Clarity validates using the ISBN checksum algorithm.
- Citations without direct links: bibliography entries, footnotes, and bracketed references are parsed for embedded URLs or DOIs.
Sources that resolve successfully in Tier A are marked Verified and skip Tier B.
Tier B: Content Lookup
Tier B runs only for sources Tier A could not resolve. Clarity searches external databases to find candidate matches for the claimed reference, then validates candidates by resolving their URLs.
- Web Search
- Academic Search
- CourtListener for legal citations
- NCBI PubMed for medical citations
If a candidate resolves, the source is marked Verified. If candidates are found but none resolve, it is marked Probable. If no candidates are found, it remains Unverified.
Verification statuses
Verified (green check)
The source was confirmed to exist. Tier A resolved it directly, or Tier B found a matching candidate that also resolved successfully.
Probable (yellow triangle)
Tier B found candidate matches in external databases, but none of the candidate URLs could be confirmed via HTTP resolution. The source likely exists but may require manual review to confirm.
Unverified (red X)
The source could not be confirmed through any method. Tier A could not resolve it, and Tier B found no matching candidates. This may indicate a fabricated, outdated, or incorrectly formatted reference.
Source types Clarity detects
Clarity detects multiple citation formats and routes each through the right checks.
- URL: direct web link, verified in Tier A via HTTP resolution.
- DOI: identifier like 10.XXXX/…, verified in Tier A via doi.org.
- ISBN: validated in Tier A via checksum, then sent to Tier B for external lookup.
- Bib Entry: parsed in Tier A for embedded URLs or DOIs, otherwise Tier B.
- Footnote or Endnote: parsed for embedded links in Tier A, otherwise Tier B.
- Bracketed Ref: sent to Tier B since it usually contains no direct link.
Metrics included in the report
Confidence
How certain the system is about a specific source result, expressed as a percentage.
Scholarly Score
A document level score (0 to 100%) measuring how academic the submitted content is. Documents scoring 30% or higher unlock additional scholarly search databases during Tier B.
Total Sources and Unique Sources
Total Sources counts every reference found, including duplicates. Unique Sources is deduplicated after normalization, this is the number of sources actually verified in the audit.
How to use Source Audit in real workflows
Start with the statuses
- If most sources are Verified, you can usually proceed confidently.
- If you see Probable sources, confirm the high impact ones manually, especially for critical claims.
- If you see Unverified sources, treat them as high risk. Replace, remove, or re cite.
Fix common issues quickly
- Replace dead links with stable canonical sources.
- Add missing author, year, or title details for incomplete citations.
- Prefer DOI links for academic papers when available.
- Add a references section when bracketed references are used.
Verify sources automatically
FAQ
Does Verified mean the claim is correct?
No. Verified means the source exists and was confirmable. Claim correctness depends on whether the source supports the statement. Source Audit verifies the reference, Peer Review evaluates support and reasoning.
Why would a source be Probable if it exists?
Probable means Tier B found candidate matches, but none of the candidate URLs could be confirmed via HTTP resolution. This can happen with paywalls, access restrictions, redirects, or incomplete citation details.
What should I do with Unverified sources?
Treat Unverified as high risk. Replace the citation with a stronger source, rewrite the claim to match evidence you can confirm, or remove the claim if it cannot be supported.
Why does Clarity deduplicate sources?
Total Sources counts every appearance, including duplicates. Unique Sources deduplicates after normalization, giving a clearer view of how many distinct references were actually verified.
What does Scholarly Score change?
Scholarly Score estimates how academic the document is. When it is 30% or higher, Clarity can unlock additional scholarly databases during Tier B to improve match quality for academic citations.
Does Source Audit replace Peer Review?
No. Source Audit focuses on verifying references. Peer Review evaluates claims, evidence alignment, and reasoning quality. Together they reduce the risk of confident errors and weak sourcing.
Ready to try it? Open Clarity and run a Peer Review to see the Source Audit Report.