sourcesuch

Sourcesuch is a term used to describe the practice of locating original or primary sources to verify a claim, trace provenance, and support conclusions in research, journalism, and information governance. It is a portmanteau of 'source' and 'search' and is not standardized; usage varies by language and field.

In practice, sourcesuch prioritizes primary evidence over secondary summaries. It aims to establish traceable documentation, enable reproducibility, and improve transparency in reporting and scholarship.

A typical sourcesuch workflow begins with identifying the exact claim to verify, then searching a range of sources including archives, bibliographic databases, academic journals, government records, and primary documents. Each candidate source is evaluated for credibility and relevance, noting authorship, publication venue, date, and possible biases. When possible, statements are corroborated across multiple independent sources, and precise bibliographic details are recorded to enable verification.

Tools commonly used for sourcesuch include search engines, database interfaces, archival catalogs, and digital repositories, together with citation-tracing and provenance-tracking practices. Challenges include access barriers, language limitations, the prevalence of misinformation, and the time required to assess sources thoroughly.

The term is more common in discussions of information literacy, fact-checking, and research methodology than in formal cataloging. It appears in some English-language writing as a descriptive concept and is often equated with or overlapping with 'provenance research' or 'source verification'.