How to Identify and Qualify Target Sources
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Build the source register beside the approved brief. Keep qualification, provenance, contacts, credibility, and priority together so later researchers can understand both the included set and its limits.
Developing
Start here. Build the foundation.- 1
After brief approval, convert inclusion rules into candidate checks and record the source that identified each subject. Keep only qualifying entries and preserve exclusion reasons so later researchers do not repeat rejected searches.
- 2
For a subject with a human owner, find a named person and verify the role through a current authoritative source. Mark the contact unconfirmed if only a department or shared inbox is available.
Proficient
Build consistency and rhythm.- 3
When recording a material or contested claim, trace summaries to the originating record and note what the source can establish. Prefer primary evidence and flag uncorroborated claims rather than treating all citations as equally strong.
- 4
When time cannot cover every candidate, rank subjects by the brief's value dimensions and record deferrals. Work the highest-value entries first and change the order when new evidence changes relevance.
Mastered
Operate at the highest level.- 5
As the landscape grows, use confirmed subjects to find adjacent candidates and apply the same inclusion rules. Document starting sources, search logic, and exclusions, then have a teammate extend the map and correct any unclear method.
Common Pitfalls
Avoid the common failure modes.- Filling the register with easy names. Recheck each candidate against the brief and remove those outside the rules.
- Stopping at an organization or shared inbox. Find the responsible person or mark the contact unconfirmed.
- Citing a confident summary as proof. Trace the claim to its origin and label unsupported material.
- Spending the deadline on low-value entries. Rank against the question and record deferrals.
- Keeping the discovery method private. Test whether a teammate can add valid adjacent subjects.