Pre-flight checklist
- This is an API feature request, not a consumer app or Comet UI request.
- Check current documentation and forum topics for closely equivalent functionality before posting.
- The developer workflow or API use case is described below.
Feature type
New response field or metadata; New endpoint or API capability
Affected API area
Search API; Agent API
Summary
Expose source dependencies so multiple agreeing publications are not automatically counted as independent confirmation.
Problem
Five articles can repeat the same original allegation or study. Citation count alone does not demonstrate independently obtained evidence.
Proposed API behavior
Provide optional source lineage metadata linking citations to their originating records, known reproductions, independent observations and unresolved source relationships. Proposed fields: origin_record_ids, derived_from, corroboration_basis, independence_status, assessment_method, limitations. Unknown lineage must remain unknown, not be labelled independent.
Example usage
An analyst retrieves three reports citing one underlying dataset. The API marks the common dependency and separately identifies any additional independently produced measurements.
Workarounds tried / considered
Manual bibliographic tracing and citation graphs exist, but typically require project-specific integration; no automated lineage test or benchmark has been conducted here.
Impact
Researchers and developers can avoid double-counting evidence and improve dispute analysis; careful provenance indicators can improve reliability without promising truth.
Additional context
Related forum requests discuss citation validation and fact-checking. The proposed scope here is specifically evidence-origin dependencies and independence, not another fact-checking agent.
Proposal attribution: Grace R. Nettey — Manifold Grace. Human-led conceptual research, with AI assistance in structuring and drafting. The request invites consideration; it does not demand implementation.
Related foundation: Interoperable Institutional Evidence Verification API with Provenance Tracking