Use cited public sources

Rules for factual answers backed by cited public sources such as standards, papers, and official documentation.

What this policy enforces

Use this policy when factual answers must be backed by cited public sources such as standards, papers, official documentation, or other authoritative references.

Evidence boundary
Authoritative external sources only
Each factual claim must cite an authoritative external source with a stable locator.
Public facts require externally verifiable support.
Locator contract
Stable citation is required
A source is admissible only when it includes a stable locator such as a DOI, section, edition, version/date, or equivalent reference point.
Unlocatable citations do not satisfy the policy.
Enforcement
Fail closed when verification is missing
If a claim cannot be verified from authoritative sources, the response must stop instead of filling gaps.
No unsourced public facts.

Canonical links

Open the linked procedure and prompt file that implement this policy boundary.

Related
Procedure and prompt files for this policy

Open the procedure linked to this policy and any prompt files used with it.

How-to guide
Prompt files (1) Hide prompt files

Scope

This page defines which sources are admissible for public factual claims, and where external sources do not apply.

World-claims
Public facts require authoritative sources
World-claims (public facts) require authoritative sources plus stable locators.
This is the admissible path for public factual content.
Local-state claims
External sources do not prove what happened here
Local-state claims (what happened in this interaction) require user-provided artifacts such as logs, files, or screenshots.
External sources do not prove local-state.

Allowed sources for world-claims

Use these source types when you need externally verified public facts.

Peer-reviewed papers
Prefer reviews or meta-analyses when relevant.
Include DOI.
Standards
Use formal standards such as ISO, NIST, RFC, or W3C.
Include section or clause.
Textbooks
Use title, edition, and chapter or section.
Include ISBN when possible.
Official vendor documentation
Use the official document title plus version/date and section.
Versioned docs are preferred.
Recognized institutions or encyclopedias
Use institution plus document, page, or equivalent locator.
Stable attribution is required.

Fail-closed sentinel

Use this exact output when a claim cannot be verified from authoritative sources.

Required output
Stop instead of guessing
If a claim cannot be verified from authoritative sources, output exactly:
HANDS UP – no source, cannot verify. and stop.

Related libraries

Open the matching library when you need the broader policy set, the runnable procedure, or the linked prompt files.

Policies
Browse the full policy library and adjacent evidence-boundary rules.
Open index →
How-to guide
Open the procedure that applies this authoritative-sources policy in a runnable workflow.
Open guide →
Prompt library
Open the prompt files used to enforce this boundary in a runtime.
Open library →