Category: AI Tips

  • How to Fact-Check AI Answers: A 6-Step Checklist

    AI tools can sound very sure of themselves and still be wrong. They predict likely text, so they can produce wrong facts, invented quotes and even sources that do not exist. This 6-step checklist helps you catch mistakes before you share or use an answer.

    Step 1: Mark what can be checked

    Go through the answer and mark anything that is a fact you can verify: names, numbers, dates, quotes, links, laws and health or money claims. Opinions and general advice need less checking than exact statements.

    Step 2: Search the exact claim

    Search for the specific claim on a trusted source, such as an official website, a textbook or an established news outlet. If you cannot find it anywhere, treat it as unconfirmed.

    Step 3: Open every source it gives you

    AI can invent book titles, articles and links. Open each source and confirm that it exists and that it really says what the AI claims. Never cite something you have not opened yourself.

    Step 4: Use a second source

    For anything important, find at least two independent sources that agree. One website repeating another does not count as two.

    Step 5: Ask the AI to show its doubts

    List the claims in your answer that you are least sure about, and tell me what I should verify.

    This will not catch everything, but it points you to the weakest parts.

    Step 6: Check whether it is out of date

    AI tools may not know about recent changes. Ask:

    Is any of this information likely to be out of date? What should I double-check?

    Red flags

    • Very exact statistics with no source.
    • Quotes attributed to a named person.
    • Studies or books that you cannot find online.
    • Links that do not open.
    • An answer that changes when you ask the same question again.

    High-stakes topics

    For health, law, money or safety, use AI only to understand the basics. Confirm the details with a qualified professional.

    Prompts that reduce mistakes

    Answer only from the text I provide. If the answer is not in the text, say you do not know.

    If you are not sure, say so instead of guessing.

    Next steps

    Better prompts lead to fewer errors. Try our free Prompt Builder and read 5 Common AI Prompt Mistakes and How to Fix Them. If you summarize documents with AI, see How to Summarize a Long Document with AI.

  • How to Summarize a Long Document with AI (Step by Step)

    Long reports, articles and meeting notes take time to read. AI can give you a quick summary, but a poor prompt gives a vague one. Here is a simple 5-step method that works with ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini.

    First, protect private information

    Do not paste confidential documents, such as client data, contracts or ID details, into a public AI tool unless you are sure it is allowed. When in doubt, remove names and sensitive details first.

    Step 1: Decide what the summary is for

    A summary for a busy manager is different from a summary for studying. Know your goal and your audience before you start.

    Step 2: Give the AI the text

    Paste the text, or upload the file if your tool supports it. Very long documents may not fit in one go. If that happens, split the text into sections and summarize each one.

    Step 3: Use a clear prompt

    Summarize the text below for [audience] in 5 bullet points. Then list any numbers, dates or deadlines it mentions. Text: [paste]

    Step 4: Ask for a useful structure

    Instead of one block of text, ask for parts you can use:

    Give me: (1) a 2-sentence summary, (2) the 5 key points, (3) any decisions or actions required, and (4) anything that is unclear in the text.

    Step 5: Check the summary

    AI can leave out important details or get a number wrong. Ask it to show its evidence, then compare with the original yourself:

    For each key point, quote the part of the text that supports it.

    Pay special attention to names, numbers and dates. For more on checking, read How to Fact-Check AI Answers.

    Summarizing a very long document

    Work in stages. Summarize each chapter or section first, then combine the short summaries and ask for a final summary:

    Here are summaries of each section of a report: [paste]. Combine them into one summary of 8 bullet points.

    Common mistakes

    • Asking for a “summary” with no audience or length.
    • Trusting the summary without checking the original.
    • Pasting private information into an AI tool.

    When not to rely on an AI summary

    For legal, medical or financial documents, read the original and ask a qualified professional. A summary can miss the one detail that matters.

    Next steps

    Use our free Prompt Builder to create a summary prompt in seconds, and read How to Write Better Prompts for the basics.