Start with the right question
A chatbot conversation is a poor research archive when the question, jurisdiction, and source versions change over time. A source log gives a later reviewer enough context to reproduce the research and find the point where an assumption entered.
Work through the checks
Frame the question
Write the legal issue in neutral terms and record the jurisdiction and relevant event date. If those are unknown, mark them unknown; do not let a model choose them silently.
Record the actual source
Save the official URL, title, publication or decision date, and the passage being used. A search-result snippet or a chatbot's paraphrase is not the same as reading the authority.
Separate applicability
Create a column for why the source might matter and another for why it might not. Differences in court level, facts, procedural posture, or later developments need review before reliance.
Preserve the research trail
Record the prompt, tool version if available, access date, and human corrections. Avoid storing client identifiers in the log when a neutral case reference will serve the same organizational purpose.
A record you can use
- Research question and jurisdiction
- Authority title and official URL
- Relevant passage or page
- Possible application and limitation
- Status check still needed
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 researcher asks about a delivery dispute and receives a decision involving employment. The log records the mismatch rather than deleting it without explanation. A revised question narrows the issue to the contract and place of performance. The final note distinguishes a useful search lead from authority actually reviewed.
This example is fictional and illustrates the method, not a real case result.
Limits and next steps
This log does not perform citator research or confirm that an authority remains good law. Do not describe the app as automatically validating cases. A qualified legal researcher must assess important authorities and current developments.
Use the existing citation-verification guide alongside this log. Give a reviewer the sources and unresolved questions, not merely a polished answer containing legal-looking references.