Treat the post, the Community Note and any linked evidence as three separate objects with separately recorded attribution. The post belongs to its author; the note is proposed through the Community Notes contributor system and can appear publicly when rated helpful across differing viewpoints; the linked source belongs to whoever published it. A displayed note is not the platform's viewpoint and not a rule-enforcement decision. Check the note's stated correction against sources you can actually open, and record any gap as a limit rather than filling it with a guess.
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Start by naming the three objects
Before judging anything, write down the post's visible claim in your own words, then the note's correction in its own words, then the title and scope of each linked source. Keep them in separate rows so a correction cannot silently read as if the original author wrote it, and so a note contributor cannot be treated as the post's author. If a note is displayed, it reflects contributor proposals rated helpful across differing viewpoints, not the platform speaking. A note is also not a rule-enforcement decision, and the post's author may request additional review. [X: Community Notes and source scope]
- Copy the original claim without editing it.
- Copy the note's correction without merging it into the post text.
Check the stated correction against sources you can open
Open each linked source and ask one question: does it actually state the correction, or only something nearby? Record the exact scope of the source, such as the date, population or setting it describes, and whether it speaks to the post's specific claim. Where a source is absent, private, mismatched or ambiguous, write that precise limit and stop the inference. Do not substitute a search result, a similar-sounding page or your memory for the missing evidence.
- Note which links opened and which did not.
- Mark a source as mismatched if it addresses a different claim.
A claim-to-source map you can sketch
The table below is a reader aid, not an interface you should expect to find on the platform. It keeps observations, their limits and the next practical step apart, which is the main discipline of this task.
| observation | limit | next step |
|---|---|---|
| The post makes a specific factual claim | You may not have the full context of the original post | Quote the claim precisely before comparing anything |
| A note proposes a correction | A displayed note is contributor context, not the platform's verdict | Read the note as a separate proposal, not as the author's admission |
| A linked page appears relevant | The link may be private, broken or narrower than the claim | Record the exact gap and stop before concluding |
| The correction reads confidently | Confidence in wording is not evidence | Check the underlying source itself |
Keep the note's authorship separate from the post's author
A common error is to read a correction and mentally attribute it to the person who wrote the post, as though they had conceded the point. The note has separate authorship from the post; do not assume it is a statement or admission by the post author. Equally, do not treat the note as an official identity check or a safety verdict about anyone involved. It is contextual information attached to a post, and its presence or absence says nothing about whether a person is trustworthy. [X: Community Notes and source scope]
Respect the boundary around missing sources
If the material needed to verify a correction sits behind a private account, a login wall or an unshared record, stop. Do not ask for access to private records or try to identify people in order to complete the check. The honest output in that case is a short limit statement: what the note claims, what could be opened, what could not, and therefore what remains unverified.
- Write one sentence naming the missing source and its effect on the conclusion.
Finish with a narrow, defensible result
End with three short lines: the claim as posted, the correction as noted, and the status of the evidence you could access, such as supported, partly supported, contradicted or unverified. Avoid upgrading that status into a judgment about the people involved. A hypothetical example: a post says a local rule changed on a date; a note cites an official page; you open the page and find it describes a different region. Your result is that the correction is not established by that link, not that the note's contributors were acting in bad faith.
- State what the evidence supports and what it does not.
- Leave person-level judgments out of the result.
A couple more questions
Is a Community Note written by the original poster?
A Community Note is proposed through the contributor system and has separate authorship from the attached post. Do not assume the post author wrote or endorsed the note; check the note's own text and its linked evidence.
Does a displayed note mean the platform has ruled on the post?
No. Community Notes do not represent the platform's viewpoint, and a note is not itself a rule-enforcement decision. The post's author may request additional review, so treat the note as context rather than an official verdict.
What should I do when the linked evidence is private or does not match?
Record the precise limit, such as the link being private or addressing a different claim, and stop. Do not seek private access or identify people to complete the check; mark the correction unverified instead.
Sources & editorial notes
Official references checked on October 24, 2026. Checklists, comparison tables and example wording are DateClues editorial tools, not official tests or validated risk scores.
General information. No guide or tool can certify a person’s identity, intentions or safety. Read our editorial standards.