A record built to be handed over
A verification log is useful only if someone else can rely on it. That means it has to be made at the time the work is done, it has to be complete, and it has to show which parts a machine observed and which parts a person stated. Checked Sources is designed around those three requirements.
Observed and declared
Every field in the record belongs to one of two layers.
| Layer | What it contains | Who can test it |
|---|---|---|
| Observed | Retrieval time, server response, redirect chain, whether the quoted words appear on the page, SHA-256 fingerprints of the page and of any screenshot | Anyone with access to the same source |
| Declared | The source the reviewer named before checking, the reviewer's finding, and any discrepancy note | The reviewer, under questioning |
Only a named person can record a declaration. The system never marks an item verified on its own.
Four groups of fields
| Group | Recorded | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Engagement | Once per matter or project | Governing rules checked, AI systems used, what leaves the reviewer's environment, team roles |
| Document | Once per report version | Fingerprint of the exact version reviewed, extraction method, changes since the prior version |
| Item | Once per citation, quotation or URL | Text as it appears, location, origin, the source named for checking, retrieval results, the reviewer's finding |
| Export | When the record is produced | Full event history, hash manifest, disclosure statement, limitations |
The published schema
The fields follow a schema published at Verification Log Fields and the Standard on theexpertrecord.com. That page lists 30 fields and maps each one to a clause of The Expert Record Standard v1.0, a free method for expert witnesses who use AI.
Disclosure. Bill Hartzer wrote The Expert Record Standard and the published schema, and is building Checked Sources. The schema is free to use with any tool or with none. Using Checked Sources is not required to follow the Standard, and the Standard certifies no product, including this one.
Why the timing matters
A log assembled after a report is signed shows only that someone remembered checking. A log written as each source is opened shows the order in which the work happened: the source named first, the check second, the finding third. Checked Sources records that order automatically, because each step is an event with its own timestamp, and events cannot be edited afterward.