Synthesis Citation Rule

Core rule

Every sentence in a Current synthesis paragraph must pass one of these checks:

CITED
CLAIM-BACKED
FLAGGED

If it passes none of them, it must not be published as normal confident synthesis.

No uncited sentence gets to appear as confident synthesis.

Three allowed sentence types

1. Cited article-backed sentence

A synthesis sentence may cite one or more article pages directly.

Format:

District AI policies are increasingly shifting from outright prohibition toward managed-use frameworks, especially when sources emphasize teacher guidance and student disclosure. ([[Article: Example Title]])

Use this when the sentence is grounded in one or more specific article pages.

2. Claim-backed sentence

A synthesis sentence may cite a claim page instead of directly citing all source articles.

Format:

The strongest pattern across the wiki is that detection-only approaches are a weak foundation for school AI policy. ([[Claim: AI detection tools are unreliable enough to be harmful in schools]])

The claim page then carries the detailed support, dissent, nuance, and source trail.

This is the preferred format when several articles support the same proposition.

3. Flagged sentence

If a synthesis sentence seems plausible but cannot yet be grounded in an article page or claim page, it must be visibly flagged.

Preferred pure Markdown format:

**Needs citation:** Schools may be underestimating how much AI use already happens outside formal policy.

Avoid publishing unsupported sentences as confident synthesis.

Required structure for Current synthesis

A Current synthesis paragraph should be written so that each sentence ends with evidence links unless it is explicitly flagged.

Example:

## Current synthesis
 
AI policy in schools appears to be moving from simple prohibition toward managed use, with more attention to disclosure, assignment design, and teacher guidance. ([[Claim: Schools need explicit norms for acceptable AI assistance]]) Detection-centered approaches remain weak because the cited sources emphasize false positives, uneven reliability, and due-process concerns. ([[Claim: AI detection tools are unreliable enough to be harmful in schools]]) The wiki does not yet have enough sourced evidence to say whether most districts are implementing these shifts well. **Needs citation:** District implementation may be lagging behind policy language.

Enforcement workflow

When generating or updating Current synthesis, follow this workflow.

Step 1: Draft synthesis as sentence list

Before writing prose, break the proposed synthesis into individual sentences.

Example checklist:

S1: AI policy in schools is moving from prohibition toward managed use.
S2: Detection-centered approaches remain weak.
S3: District implementation may be lagging behind policy language.

Step 2: Attach source support to every sentence

For each sentence, identify at least one of:

article page
claim page

A citation is valid only if the cited page actually supports the sentence.

Step 3: Classify each sentence

Each sentence receives one evidence status:

evidence_status: cited
evidence_status: claim_backed
evidence_status: needs_citation
evidence_status: synthesis_inference

Treat synthesis_inference as publishable only if it cites the article or claim pages it is inferred from.

Step 4: Publish only cited or flagged sentences

The page may include:

cited sentences
claim-backed sentences
flagged needs-citation sentences

The page may not include:

uncited confident synthesis

If no citation exists, the sentence must become:

**Needs citation:** [sentence]

or move to a separate section:

## Open synthesis questions
 
- The wiki may need more evidence on whether district implementation is lagging behind policy language.

Page-level metadata

Each synthesis page should track whether its current synthesis is fully cited.

Suggested frontmatter:

---
type: big_idea
synthesis_status: emerging
synthesis_confidence: medium
citation_policy: sentence_level
current_synthesis_citation_status: partial
last_synthesis_update: 2026-05-24
---

Allowed values:

current_synthesis_citation_status: complete
current_synthesis_citation_status: partial
current_synthesis_citation_status: needs_review

Definitions:

complete = every sentence has article/claim support
partial = some sentences are visibly flagged as Needs citation
needs_review = citations have not been checked

Citation ledger

For pages where extra auditability is useful, add a citation ledger after the synthesis.

## Current synthesis citation ledger
 
| Sentence | Status | Support |
|---|---|---|
| AI policy in schools appears to be moving from simple prohibition toward managed use. | Claim-backed | [[Claim: Schools need explicit norms for acceptable AI assistance]] |
| Detection-centered approaches remain weak because sources emphasize false positives and due-process concerns. | Claim-backed | [[Claim: AI detection tools are unreliable enough to be harmful in schools]] |
| District implementation may be lagging behind policy language. | Needs citation | Not yet supported |

Use the ledger during early development. Later, decide whether it clutters the public wiki.

Enforcement before writing

Before writing or updating a synthesis page, produce a review block like this:

Citation check for proposed Current synthesis:
 
1. "AI policy in schools appears to be moving from simple prohibition toward managed use..."
   - Status: claim-backed
   - Support: [[Claim: Schools need explicit norms for acceptable AI assistance]]
 
2. "Detection-centered approaches remain weak..."
   - Status: claim-backed
   - Support: [[Claim: AI detection tools are unreliable enough to be harmful in schools]]
 
3. "District implementation may be lagging behind policy language."
   - Status: needs citation
   - Action: publish as **Needs citation:** or move to Open questions.

Rule for unsupported synthesis

Unsupported statements should not be deleted automatically if they are useful, but they must be demoted.

Possible demotions:

Option A: Needs citation inline

**Needs citation:** District implementation may be lagging behind policy language.

Option B: Move to open question

## Open synthesis questions
 
- Is district implementation lagging behind policy language?

Option C: Move to research queue

## Research queue
 
- Find sources on whether district implementation is lagging behind AI policy language.

Default:

If plausible but uncited → move to Open synthesis questions.
If important to the paragraph's logic → keep inline as Needs citation.
If speculative or not necessary → omit from Current synthesis.

Governing rule

No sentence-level source, no confident synthesis sentence.

Operationally:

Every Current synthesis sentence must end with at least one [[Article: ...]] or [[Claim: ...]] link, unless it begins with **Needs citation:**.