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Chain-of-Verification

Chain-of-verification is a structured prompting technique in which the model, after producing an initial response, autonomously generates a series of checking questions aimed at testing individual claims made, answers each question separately, and finally revises the original response in light of what was verified.

Definition

How it works

The process unfolds in distinct steps: generating the initial response, drafting a list of verification questions designed to isolate specific facts contained in the response, answering each question independently without looking at the original response, and finally producing a final synthesis that incorporates the corrections that emerged. Answering the verification questions separately, without the context of the initial response, helps prevent the model from simply confirming what it already wrote.

Applications

This technique applies to tasks where factual precision is critical, such as writing biographies, summarizing historical events or producing content with verifiable data, reducing the risk that invented claims remain in the final version unchecked.

History & etymology

The name deliberately echoes chain-of-thought, sharing the idea of breaking reasoning into explicit steps, but applied specifically to checking the truthfulness of claims rather than to the reasoning process itself.

How it's used in Grace

Grace recognizes when, in scenarios that require factual precision, you generate separate check questions instead of just rereading the answer you already wrote.

Related terms

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