| name | dd-sourcing |
| description | Document sources properly for due diligence reports. Use when citing any external data, ensuring full traceability and auditability of findings. |
Source Documentation Standards
All due diligence findings must be traceable to their sources. This enables audit trails, follow-up verification, and legal defensibility.
Source Quality Tiers
Tier 1: Primary Sources (Highest Credibility)
- SEC filings (10-K, 10-Q, S-1)
- Court documents and legal filings
- Government databases (USPTO, state registrations)
- Company's own audited financials
- Direct customer/reference interviews
Tier 2: Secondary Sources (High Credibility)
- Established data providers (Crunchbase, PitchBook, CB Insights)
- Major news outlets (WSJ, Bloomberg, TechCrunch)
- Industry analyst reports (Gartner, Forrester)
- LinkedIn profiles (for employment verification)
- Academic research and papers
Tier 3: Tertiary Sources (Use with Caution)
- Social media posts
- Blog articles
- Glassdoor reviews
- Wikipedia (only as starting point)
- Forum discussions
Citation Format
Every fact must include a source citation:
{
"source": {
"name": "Full source name",
"type": "SEC_FILING | NEWS | DATA_PROVIDER | INTERVIEW | GOVERNMENT | OTHER",
"url": "https://... (if available)",
"access_date": "2024-01-15",
"publication_date": "2024-01-10",
"tier": 1,
"excerpt": "Relevant quote or data point"
}
}
Best Practices
DO:
- Capture URLs at time of access (pages change/disappear)
- Note the access date for all web sources
- Quote relevant passages, don't just link
- Use multiple sources for critical claims
- Prefer recent sources over older ones
DON'T:
- Cite a source you haven't actually reviewed
- Use company press releases as independent verification
- Rely on a single source for material claims
- Cite sources behind paywalls without noting limitation
- Mix up "stated by company" vs "independently verified"
Source Tracking in Output
Include a sources section in every analysis:
{
"sources_used": [
{
"id": "S1",
"name": "Crunchbase - Acme Corp Profile",
"url": "https://crunchbase.com/...",
"access_date": "2024-01-15",
"tier": 2,
"used_for": ["funding_history", "employee_count"]
}
],
"source_statistics": {
"tier_1": 3,
"tier_2": 8,
"tier_3": 2,
"total": 13
}
}
Handling Source Conflicts
When sources disagree:
- Note the discrepancy explicitly
- Prefer higher-tier sources
- Prefer more recent sources
- Document both versions with reasoning for which to trust