Reconcile two accounts without inventing consensus

Why this matters

Two sources can differ because they cover different times or quote different people, not because one is necessarily false. Preserve attribution and compare like with like. Agreement is not proof of truth when sources may repeat the same origin. The fictional source pair includes a deliberate time distinction.

Before you start

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Your illustrated field guide

Conceptual illustration, not a provider screenshot. Artwork is AI-generated; instructional labels are authored text.

Start with fictional input

Source A, 09:00: “The repair event has 30 registrations. Organizers plan two tables. The venue is the East Hall.” Source B, 17:00: “Registrations reached 42 after lunch. Organizers confirmed East Hall and said a third table may be added.”

Copy and adapt this prompt

Create three sections: shared supported facts; differences with source/time attribution; unresolved questions. Distinguish a later update from a contradiction and a proposal from confirmation. Quote the relevant words. Do not average counts or invent a final decision.

Worked reference—not proof of correctness

Shared: East Hall. Updated count: 30 at 09:00 versus 42 by 17:00, not necessarily a conflict. Two planned tables versus a possible third is an unresolved plan, not confirmation that three exist.

Five practical steps

1. Annotate each source

   Mark timestamp, confirmed facts, plans and tentative language independently.

2. Run the synthesis

   Require source labels and quotes for every comparison.

3. Check alleged conflicts

   Ask whether each difference concerns the same time, definition and scope.

4. Investigate dependence

   Note that the texts may share an organizer as their original source; do not call them independent verification.

5. Draft a cautious update

   State the most recent attributed facts and one question that needs confirmation.

Test your result

• The count change is identified as a time update rather than an automatic contradiction.
• The third table remains tentative.
• Every comparison has source/time attribution and no invented average or consensus.

Mistakes to watch for

• Treating omission as disagreement.
• Counting two articles that repeat one press release as two independent confirmations.

Offline / no-key route

Use a two-column evidence ledger and write the shared/different/unresolved sections by hand.

Reflect

Which apparent contradiction disappeared once you compared timestamps?

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