| name | research |
| description | Deep research with web search, source verification, and fact-checking. Runs before humanize + kami in the document pipeline. Use when user asks to research a topic, verify facts, gather sources, or do deep web investigation. Covers source validation, citation, and evidence hierarchy. |
| triggers | ["research","research this","find information about","search the web","verify facts","fact check","gather sources","deep investigation","web research","look up","investigate"] |
| negatives | ["memory search","ChromaDB","vector search","code search","git history"] |
| license | MIT |
| compatibility | opencode |
| metadata | {"version":"1.0.0","workflow":"ai-agents","audience":"general"} |
research ยท ่ชฟๆป
่ชฟๆป ยท ใกใใใ โ "investigation". Source verification and fact-checking for document generation.
Pre-loads facts before writing. Runs BEFORE humanize + kami + kagen in the document pipeline. Prevents hallucinated data, fake citations, unverified claims.
Based on: CIA Structured Analytic Techniques (Heuer & Pherson), US Government Tradecraft Primer, NPR Training verification guide, Princeton triangulation methodology, OSINT verification tiers (War Intel Hub), journalistic cross-verification research (Godler & Reich), AI hallucination benchmarks (Vectara HHEM 2026), and evidence hierarchy frameworks (NHMRC).
Core principle
Sources before phrasing. Do not write a claim without verifying it first. Every number, date, name, version, and citation must be traced to a primary or reputable secondary source.
Evidence hierarchy (adapted from NHMRC + intelligence community)
Use this hierarchy to determine the weight of each source:
| Level | Type | Example |
|---|
| 1 โ Direct primary | Official document, direct capture, observed data | Real HTTP response, source code, DB dump, screenshot |
| 2 โ Official primary | Official statement, public documentation, filing | SEC filing, CVE entry, official changelog, press release |
| 3 โ Reputable secondary | Established outlet, peer-reviewed paper, curated database | NVD, Wordfence, OWASP, Reuters, arXiv |
| 4 โ Multiple independent sources | 3+ unrelated sources report the same | Cross-reference across tech blogs + forums + docs |
| 5 โ Single source with evidence | One verifiable source but no corroboration | Researcher blog with reproducible evidence |
| 6 โ Unverified | Unsupported claim, rumor, speculation | Do NOT use as fact in a document |
Rule: a professional document only uses levels 1โ4 for factual claims. Level 5 for context or direct quotes, marked as such. Level 6 is not published.
Source verification protocol (NPR + Princeton triangulation)
Step 1: The direct knowledge test (before citing)
Ask about each source:
- First-hand: Did the source witness the event, participate directly, or have documentation? โ Strong, but requires corroboration
- Second-hand: Did the source hear it from someone else? โ Useful for leads, insufficient to publish
- Third-hand+: Rumor, hearsay, speculation? โ Not publishable as fact
Step 2: Triangulation (Princeton method)
Cross-check each claim against multiple independent sources:
Claim: "WordPress 6.7 has vulnerability X"
โ Source A: official WordPress advisory
โ Source B: entry in NVD/CVE
โ Source C: Wordfence or similar analysis
โ Do they agree? โ VERIFIED
โ Only one source? โ NOT VERIFIED
Step 3: Bias and agenda assessment (NPR)
For each source, identify:
- Financial interest: Does the source benefit financially from a particular narrative?
- Professional interest: Does their reputation/career depend on a certain outcome?
- Personal relationships: Friends, family, enemies of the subject?
- Funding: Who funds the source? What interests does that funder have?
Step 4: The five-minute background check (NPR)
When time is short:
- Read the source's bio and "About" page
- Identify who funds or backs them
- Look for behavior patterns or prior claims
- Verify if there are visible conflicts of interest
Verification tiers (adapted from OSINT + War Intel Hub)
Every claim in the document must have an assigned tier:
| Tier | Label | Requirement | Color in document |
|---|
| โ | VERIFIED | 2+ primary sources or 1 primary + direct evidence | Normal (no mark) |
| o | CORROBORATED | Multiple independent sources report the same, without direct primary source | Normal (no mark) |
| X | UNVERIFIED | Single source or unconfirmable | Explicitly mark "unverified" or don't include |
Rule: in professional documents, everything published without a mark must be VERIFIED or CORROBORATED. UNVERIFIED is omitted or declared as such.
Anti-hallucination checklist (based on Vectara HHEM benchmarks 2026)
LLMs hallucinate 15-20% of the time on factual queries (source: Prompt Guardrails, Vectara benchmark March 2026). Reasoning models hallucinate more than standard ones in summarization (DeepSeek-R1: 14.3% vs V3: 6.1%).
Before writing any claim, run it through this filter:
| Question | Check |
|---|
| Does this number have a verifiable source? | |
| Is this date confirmed by a primary source? | |
| Does this name/version actually exist? | |
| Is this quote verbatim and verifiable? | |
| Is this CVE/ID real and does it match what I'm saying? | |
| Does this statistic come from a real study? | |
| Am I making up a "study shows" to add weight? | |
| Is this claim about the model/framework true today? | |
Common categories of AI-invented data (research flags)
| Category | Red flag | What to do |
|---|
| Versions | "WordPress 6.8 has..." with no advisory | Check wordpress.org/news/releases |
| CVEs | CVE-2026-XXXX with no NVD entry | Search nvd.nist.gov |
| Statistics | "80% of sites..." with no study | Don't use without a source |
| Dates | Patch dates, release dates | Verify in official changelog |
| Quotes | "As X said: '...'" | Confirm X actually said that |
| Security metrics | Exploit times, rates | Search real reports (Veracode, Splunk, etc.) |
| Tool names | Non-existent tools or wrong versions | Verify official homepage or repository |
Context adaptation by document type
Not all documents need the same verification level. Adjust by type:
| Document type | Verification priority | Critical fields | Tolerance |
|---|
| Pentest / Security | Maximum | CVEs, versions, dates, screenshots, exploits | Zero. A fake CVE invalidates the report |
| White paper / Technical | High | Statistics, quotes, dates, versions, tool names | Low. Made-up quotes destroy credibility |
| One-pager / Executive | Medium | Core metrics, client names, key dates | Medium. Minor errors tolerable if the central message is correct |
| Resume / CV | Maximum in personal data | Employment dates, titles, companies, quantifiable achievements | Zero in personal data. Achievement claims can be contextual |
| Letter | Low | Names, titles, dates | High. Tone matters more than factual precision |
| Slides / Deck | Medium | Key statistics, verbatim quotes, names | Medium. Visual context takes priority over detail |
Rule: if the document goes to an external client or has legal/security implications, always use maximum verification.
Document pipeline integration
- A specific software version โ check official changelog
- A CVE or vulnerability โ search NVD + official advisory
- A statistic or metric โ find primary source or don't include
- A verbatim quote โ confirm it exists
- An event date โ verify in official source
- A person/tool/company name โ verify it exists and is spelled correctly
Sources
- Heuer & Pherson, Structured Analytic Techniques for Intelligence Analysis (CIA Sherman Kent School)
- US Government, A Tradecraft Primer: Structured Analytic Techniques for Improving Intelligence Analysis (2009)
- NPR Training, "Don't just check the facts, check the source: a guide to verification" (March 2026)
- Princeton University Library, guide "Triangulation and Media Literacy" (2025)
- War Intel Hub, "OSINT Verification Methodology"
- Vectara HHEM hallucination benchmark leaderboard (March 2026)
- Prompt Guardrails, "AI Hallucination Detection and Prevention Guide" (2026)
- News Factory, "News Fact-Checking in 2026: Hallucination Benchmarks, RAG, and Verification Tools"
- Reuters / AP sourcing standards
- GlobalX Publications, "Fact-Checking, Triangulation, and Evidence Reliability in Research"
- NHMRC evidence hierarchy framework
Workflow
- Define research scope โ identify exactly what claims need verification: numbers, dates, versions, names, quotes, CVE IDs, statistics.
- Search primary sources first โ official changelogs, CVE entries (nvd.nist.gov), SEC filings, source code repositories, direct HTTP responses.
- Triangulate across independent sources โ cross-check each claim against 3+ unrelated sources. Do they independently agree? If only one source, mark as UNVERIFIED.
- Assess source credibility โ financial interest, professional stake, funding bias, personal relationships. Apply the five-minute background check from NPR methodology.
- Assign verification tiers โ VERIFIED (2+ primary sources), CORROBORATED (multiple sources, no primary), UNVERIFIED (single source). Tag every claim.
- Run anti-hallucination filter โ verify every number, date, version, and quote against the Vectara HHEM checklist before writing.
- Adapt verification level to document type โ maximum for pentest/security reports and CVs. Medium for white papers and exec summaries. Lower for personal letters.
Error Handling
| Cause | Fix |
|---|
| CVE ID returned no results from NVD | Search official vendor advisory directly. Check if it's a reserved but unpublished CVE. Mark as CORROBORATED if vendor confirms. |
| Official changelog disagrees with secondary sources | Trust the primary source. Note the discrepancy. Re-check secondary sources for outdated or misinterpreted data. |
| Statistics claim with no identifiable study | Reject the claim. Do not publish. Replace with qualified language ("commonly observed", "widely reported") or omit entirely. |
| Source behind paywall or login gate | Search for preprint, open-access version, or web archive. If unavailable, mark as "source not independently verified." |
| Direct quote cannot be confirmed to exist | Do not publish as verbatim. If essential, paraphrase with attribution like "as characterized by..." or "according to reporting by..." |
| Multiple sources conflict on a key date or number | Go with the primary source. Note the conflict if it matters (e.g., "Sources differ on exact date; official changelog lists [date]"). |
| AI hallucination detected in generated text during verification | Strip the hallucinated claim immediately. Replace with verified data or omit. Re-check surrounding context for contamination. |
| Research timed out before all claims verified | Prioritize critical claims (CVEs, versions, names). Mark unverified claims explicitly. Ship with "preliminary" designation if necessary. |
Anti-Patterns
| Pattern | Problem | Fix |
|---|
| "Studies show..." with no citation | Hallucinated authority. Undermines entire document credibility. | Never state a study exists without a verifiable citation. Use real sources or don't claim one. |
| Accepting the first Google result as fact | Single-source bias. SEO ranking โ accuracy. | Always triangulate. Minimum 3 independent sources for factual claims. |
| Citing Wikipedia as a primary source | Wikipedia is a tertiary source. Editing wars and vandalism skew content. | Trace Wikipedia citations to their original primary sources. Use Wikipedia as a launch point, not an endpoint. |
| Publishing numbers without checking if they're from a real study | LLMs invent plausible-sounding statistics 15-20% of the time. | Verify every number against its original study. If the study doesn't exist, the number doesn't either. |
| Using LLM training data as "verification" without web search | Training data is frozen, outdated, and hallucination-prone. | Always run live web searches. Cross-check against current official sources. |
| Including level 5 (single source) claims without marking them | Reader assumes verified when it's actually unconfirmed. | Explicitly mark any level 5 claim: "[Source: single report, not independently confirmed]". |
| Treating all sources as equally credible | A Reddit comment โ a peer-reviewed paper โ an NVD entry. | Apply evidence hierarchy. Weight sources by type, not by what supports the desired narrative. |
| Skipping verification because the claim "sounds right" | Confirmation bias. LLMs are confident and wrong simultaneously. | Verify every factual claim. "Sounds right" is how hallucinations reach production documents. |
Checklist
