Standards
What every finding has to carry.
This page is written to be shared. It sets out the minimum standard a finding has to meet before it leaves the building.
- Last reviewed
- 27 August 2026
- Standing
- This page describes how Sentinel works. It is not legal advice, and it is not a substitute for counsel on a specific engagement.
The position
Every finding carries its source.
An unverified claim is a liability. A single bad citation can end a news cycle badly, damage a candidate's credibility and trigger a platform or legal challenge.
So the controls are structural. Every material finding carries its source before it can ship, every product separates what is documented from what is inferred, and every delivery includes the appendix that lets a client, a journalist or a lawyer follow a claim back to its origin.
The minimum standard
Every finding carries its source.
Two rules do most of the work: everything carries its source, and nothing blurs the line between what is documented and what is inferred.
Every material finding carries
- A primary document from an official, public or court archive
- A permanent link, archival timestamp and record identifier
- The publishing authority or body, and the date of record
- A verbatim quotation that preserves the surrounding context
- A named researcher, review sign-off and confidence rating
Every final product distinguishes
- Documented fact
- Disputed or unverified assertion
- Analytical inference and modelling
- Strategic significance and recommended use
- Client-supplied background, as distinct from a Sentinel finding
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