What makes a source official?

When Sourken checks a claim, it looks for evidence in two kinds of places: official sources on an approved list, and published research.

Official sources

These are organizations whose job is to set rules, publish standards or report facts for the public: government agencies, regulators and standards bodies. When a page says "the law requires" or "the agency recommends," the agency's own page is the best place to confirm it.

Published research

For claims about what works or what's true in the world, Sourken searches databases of published studies, and notes whether a study was peer reviewed, a preprint, or something else. A single study rarely settles a question, so reports show which kind of source supports each verdict.

What doesn't count

A company's description of its own product, a sales page, or an industry group speaking for its own industry is not independent evidence. Sourken can still read those pages, but it weighs them for what they are and says so in the report.

Why quotes, not summaries

A summary can drift from what a source says. So Sourken only accepts a verdict when the supporting quote appears word for word in the source text. If it can't find the quote, the claim is marked as having no evidence, rather than guessing. Every full report shows those quotes, with links, so you can read the source yourself.