Understanding verification and documentation VERIFY, VERIFY, VERIFY Data of any kind–even materials you’ve collected yourself–require thorough verification to protect your reputation and people on the ground from suffering harm. It is important to approach each piece of content with a critical eye, even if you wish for it to be true. Five steps of  verification 1. How did you get the content? Think about what information channels it You also have to accept that there is no single traveled through before arriving on your method to guarantee verification. Verification is a desk. How many times did it change hands? process for giving yourself and others confidence in the veracity of the content. You should be as 2. Is the person who shared or uploaded the transparent about what you don’t know as what content online also the creator, or was it you do know, for everyone’s sake. In high-pressure, low-resource environments verification of digital data is often an afterthought someone else? Ask if you don’t know. 3. Where is the content from? Descriptions and metadata can easily rather than something that is incorporated in be forged. Are their visible landmarks or research plans from the start. If you have doubts sounds (like police sirens or dialects) that about how to verify a particular type of content, it’s safer to consult experts to help you. Who created the content? can help you verify a location? 4. When was the content created? You can’t trust the date stamp on a file. Are there visual clues like the weather? A reverse image search can show if a photo appears elsewhere. 5. Why was the content created? Can you determine the motivation for sharing the content? What interests does the uploader have? 24