2.10 Fact check: all numerical data cited in the article must similarly be re-checked (to the extent possible). For instance, if an article mentions the year a report was published, the editor can try and verify that year online.

○Example: “An Indian Banks Association report of 2008 states….”

–You can verify online for IBA reports of that year.

Editors must also ask authors for the online sources of the meta data/ official data they have cited – the author can give the url at which the editor can re-verify the numbers. If the author has referred to a hardcopy, he/she should ideally give the reference details (title; author/s; date; place of publication) along with the article.

In the published article on PARI, these details will not be used as full formal references, the editor will delete them. They are required only for fact-checking by the editor. But a general reference/source can (and should) still be maintained within the text when citing data.

○Example: “According to data of the Ministry of Mines, less than 50 per cent of leases are actually being worked or utilised.”

>Incorrect: “Official data shows that than 50 per cent of leases are actually being worked or utilised.”

This verification and attribution is essential for the credibility of the data and information PARI publishes.

○Exceptions:

>Well-known figures, such as the population of India being over 1.2 billion.

>Estimates/ numbers cited by a person (government official or anyone else) in the course of an interview. However the official estimate is not to be treated as gospel, and in several situations must be verified.

>Ground-level data that is based on a visual count or the author’s estimate.

○Examples:

>There are five wells in the village.

>The number of households in the Dalit basti has fallen to around 20.