Verifying Answers and Citations
Checking the sources before you trust the answer
You'll be able to
- Open each citation behind an Assistant answer and confirm it supports the claim
- Spot when an answer is stale, partial, or unsupported by its sources
Read first
Day 6 Lab
- Ask the Assistant a question that matters and read its answer.
- Open every citation it offers, one at a time.
- For each, confirm the source actually states what the answer claims.
- Check the dates — a citation can be real but out of date.
- If a claim has no citation, or the source doesn't match, treat the answer as unverified.
Working Example: Verifying a Citation
A cited answer is a starting point, not a verdict. Open each source and confirm it supports the specific claim before you act on it. Verified against assistant_skills.
Answer claim: "Travel must be booked 14 days in advance." [1]
[1] Travel Policy (Confluence)
Check 1 — Open [1]. Does it say 14 days, or a different number?
Check 2 — Read the date. Is this the current policy or a 2024 draft?
Check 3 — No citation on a claim? Treat that line as unsupported.
The answer is only as good as the sources you can confirm behind it.Check for understanding
Name one sign that an answer's citation does not actually support it.
Check yourself
1. What does `roadmap updated:past_week` return?
2. How do you isolate results from Q1 2026 with a precise date window?
3. What is the difference between `in:` and `collection:`?
4. When is `my:history pricing` the right move?
5. After Glean Assistant gives a cited answer, what is the governed next step?
In 10 seconds
“An answer with citations still has to be checked. Open each source, confirm it says what the answer claims, and watch the dates. Trust the sources, not the confident tone — that's the governed habit.”
Combining Operators for Precision