RAG citation verification: inspect the supporting passage

What to inspect

Open the cited passage and compare it with the exact claim. Check whether it supports the full statement, merely mentions the topic, or contradicts the answer. Keep document version and user access checks separate from this evidence review.

Worked example

Synthetic example: a passage says “Enterprise accounts may request an extension.” The answer says “All accounts receive an extension automatically.” The link can be correct while the claim is unsupported. A reviewer should narrow the answer or abstain.

Copy the full prompt

Adapt the inputs to your task. Remove private data before sending anything to a model. This page copies text locally; it does not run the prompt.

Review [ANSWER] against [CITED PASSAGES]. Split the answer into checkable claims. For each claim return the exact supporting passage, source ID and one of supported, partial, contradicted or absent. Do not infer eligibility from a topic match. Flag missing document versions and unresolved conflicts. Suggest the smallest correction; do not invent a source.

Review checklist

1. Split broad sentences into checkable claims.
2. Inspect the actual cited passage.
3. Verify source version and access separately.
4. Surface partial support and unresolved conflict.

Keep the resource

Keep exploring

• LLM context design: resolve conflicting instructions
• RAG freshness: choose the policy that applies

Documentation & scope

Anthropic: citations ↗

This is an original workflow template with an illustrative example. It does not report completed model tests or measured performance. Provider APIs can change; check the linked documentation for your exact integration.