Independence before corroboration
Count sources by their independence, not their number — many pages tracing back to one origin are still one source.
- Before treating a claim as corroborated, check that its sources do not share an origin.
- Citation loops and syndication inflate apparent support without adding evidence.
- Two genuinely independent sources beat ten that cite each other.
- Record each claim's corroboration as independent, single, or uncorroborated.
- Independence is the primary defense against one false claim propagating as consensus.