Check what comes back

First, name the kind of output

• A draft: an email, an outline, the first pass of meeting notes.
• A tidy-up: a long piece cut into points, or scattered notes put in order.
• A lookup: it says something is true, a figure is such-and-such, or a source says this.

For the first two, check against the material in front of you. For the third, check the source. Don’t use the same eye for both.

Three places you have to look

1. 01Names, dates, amounts, percentages. Check them against the text you gave it, not against its previous sentence.
2. 02Reasons, benefits, and risks it added. If you did not supply them, treat them as unchecked.
3. 03“Should”, “recommend”, “best”. That is the tool deciding for you. Leave the decision with the person who has to answer for it.

Citations, statutes, medical advice, and contract terms follow the original. This article does not teach those professional judgments.

It counts as used only after you revise it

Checking is not reading it once and finding it smooth. Smooth sentences are the easiest way for a wrong fact to pass. The revised draft is yours.