Home Practical Test Docs PDF

Chapter 12: Preserving Provenance

12.1 The Attribution Loss Problem

When summarizing results from multiple sources, the "claim → source" link can be lost:

Bad: "The AI music market is estimated at $3.2B." (No source, no year.)

Good:
{
  "claim": "The AI music market is estimated at $3.2B.",
  "source_url": "https://example.com/report",
  "source_name": "Global AI Music Report 2024",
  "publication_date": "2024-06-15",
  "confidence": 0.9
}

12.2 Handling Conflicting Data

When two sources provide different values:

{
  "claim": "Share of AI-generated music on streaming platforms",
  "values": [
    {
      "value": "12%",
      "source": "Spotify Annual Report 2024",
      "date": "2024-03",
      "methodology": "Automated classification"
    },
    {
      "value": "8%",
      "source": "Music Industry Association Survey",
      "date": "2024-07",
      "methodology": "Survey of 500 labels"
    }
  ],
  "conflict_detected": true,
  "possible_explanation": "Difference in methodology and time period"
}

Do not arbitrarily choose one value. Preserve both with attribution and let the coordinator decide.

12.3 Include Dates for Correct Interpretation

Without dates, temporal differences can be misinterpreted as contradictions:

Bad: "Source A says 10%, source B says 15%. Contradiction."
Good: "Source A (2023) says 10%, source B (2024) says 15%. Likely +5% growth over a year."

12.4 Render by Content Type

Don't force everything into one format: