Glossary
Fact-Checking
The process of verifying the accuracy of claims, statistics, and information in written content.
Definition
Fact-checking is the process of verifying that the facts, statistics, claims, quotes, and attributions in a piece of written content are accurate, current, and properly sourced. Professional fact-checkers cross-reference content against primary sources to identify and correct inaccuracies before publication.
Why It Matters
Publishing inaccurate content damages credibility, trust, and professional reputation. Google's E-E-A-T framework explicitly rewards accurate, well-sourced content. In the era of AI-generated content, fact-checking is more important than ever — AI tools regularly 'hallucinate' plausible-sounding but entirely fabricated statistics.
Examples
Statistical fact-checkVerifying a cited statistic by finding and linking to the original study, not a secondary source
AI output checkVerifying that every factual claim in an AI-generated draft has a traceable primary source
Common Mistakes
Citing secondary sources instead of the primary source.
Publishing AI-generated statistics without verification.
Trusting long-standing 'common knowledge' claims without checking.
Not updating content when cited facts become outdated.