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fact-verification

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Verify scientific claims, political statements, and environmental assertions against evidence

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How to use this skill

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  2. Copy the prompt below and paste it into your agent.
  3. Review the proposed files and risks before you approve installation.
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I want to install this Agent Skill for this project in Codex.

Source SKILL.md: https://github.com/beita6969/ScienceClaw/blob/HEAD/skills/fact-verification/SKILL.md

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First, summarize what it does, its dependencies, license status if identifiable, and any risks. Show the exact files you propose to add under .agents/skills/fact-verification/. Do not write files or run scripts until I approve.

After I approve, install the complete skill folder, including required referenced files, into that project location. Verify it is discoverable, then tell me its actual invocation name and how to use it. Do not claim it is installed until you have verified it.

Copying this prompt does not install or run the skill. Review third-party files before use. Codex skill guide

Fact Verification

Purpose

Systematically verify factual claims using evidence retrieval, source evaluation, and logical reasoning.

Key Datasets

  • PolitiFact (Jinyan1/PolitiFact): Political statements rated on 6-level truth scale (True, Mostly True, Half True, Mostly False, False, Pants on Fire)
  • Climate-FEVER (tdiggelm/climate_fever): Climate claims labeled SUPPORTS/REFUTES/NOT_ENOUGH_INFO with evidence sentences

Protocol

  1. Claim decomposition — Break complex claims into atomic verifiable statements
  2. Evidence retrieval — Search authoritative sources for each sub-claim
  3. Source evaluation — Assess source credibility and potential bias
  4. Evidence-claim alignment — Determine if evidence supports, refutes, or is insufficient
  5. Verdict synthesis — Aggregate sub-verdicts into overall assessment

Verification Categories

  • Scientific claims: Published findings, statistical assertions, causal claims
  • Political statements: Policy claims, historical assertions, statistical citations
  • Environmental claims: Climate data, pollution metrics, biodiversity assertions
  • Health claims: Treatment efficacy, risk factors, epidemiological data

Verdict Scale

  • VERIFIED: Multiple independent high-quality sources confirm
  • LIKELY TRUE: Evidence supports but limited independent confirmation
  • MIXED: Partially true with important caveats or context
  • LIKELY FALSE: Evidence contradicts but some ambiguity remains
  • FALSE: Clear evidence contradicts the claim
  • UNVERIFIABLE: Insufficient evidence to determine

Rules

  • Always cite specific evidence for each verdict
  • Distinguish between factual errors and misleading framing
  • Check for cherry-picked statistics or out-of-context quotes
  • Consider temporal context (claim may have been true when made)