Start with the right question
A shorter document is not necessarily a faithful document. Summarization can merge people, move an event in time, or turn an allegation into a fact. Audit the summary as a set of claims before using it in a complaint, negotiation, or consultation.
Work through the checks
Make claims testable
Split a sentence containing several assertions into separate rows. Record who did what, when, and according to which document. This makes a partly correct sentence easier to repair.
Check attribution
Distinguish an author's observation, a quotation from someone else, and the model's inference. Preserve words such as alleged, approximate, disputed, or not recalled when they affect the meaning.
Search for omissions
Compare the summary with the source's headings and attachments. Deliberately look for adverse facts, exceptions, and unanswered questions. A pleasing account can be incomplete even when every included sentence is accurate.
Keep correction history
Save the original summary and a corrected version with a short change log. If the source changes, identify which rows require another review instead of assuming the previous check still applies.
A record you can use
- Summary statement
- Source filename and page
- Speaker or author
- Verified, disputed, or unsupported
- Correction and reviewer
Keep this record locally. Use document references rather than publishing account numbers or other people's personal details. An empty field means the information is still missing; it should not be filled with an AI guess.
Worked example
A fictional email says a package might arrive Friday. A summary says the seller promised Friday delivery. The reviewer replaces the statement with the conditional wording, records the email date, and leaves the actual delivery date unknown. The correction prevents a tentative estimate from becoming an invented commitment.
This example is fictional and illustrates the method, not a real case result.
Limits and next steps
A source match does not prove the source itself is true. Scans, translations, missing pages, and incomplete conversation threads create additional uncertainty. Important quotations should be checked against the underlying record.
Use the corrected summary as an index to the evidence. Share the relevant source passages with a qualified adviser rather than expecting the summary to carry the entire factual record.