169 lines
4.3 KiB
Markdown
169 lines
4.3 KiB
Markdown
# Source Hierarchy
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Authority evaluation and cross-referencing guidelines for technical research.
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## Authority Hierarchy
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Sources ranked by authority for technical research:
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| Rank | Source Type | Use For | Confidence |
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|------|-------------|---------|------------|
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| 1 | **Official Documentation** | API refs, canonical behavior, setup | 90-100% |
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| 2 | **Standards Bodies** | RFCs, W3C, IEEE, ISO specs | 90-100% |
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| 3 | **Benchmark Studies** | Performance comparisons, metrics | 70-90% |
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| 4 | **Case Studies** | Real-world implementations, lessons | 60-80% |
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| 5 | **Community Consensus** | Adoption patterns, common practices | 50-70% |
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## Source Types Explained
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### Official Documentation
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Created and maintained by project authors.
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**Examples**:
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- React docs at reactjs.org
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- TypeScript Handbook
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- AWS service documentation
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- Framework migration guides
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**Trust for**:
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- API signatures and parameters
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- Configuration options
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- Breaking changes
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- Official recommendations
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**Verify**:
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- Documentation version matches user's version
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- Content is current (check update dates)
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### Standards Bodies
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Formal specifications from standards organizations.
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**Examples**:
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- IETF RFCs (HTTP, TLS, etc.)
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- W3C specifications (HTML, CSS, WebAPI)
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- ECMA standards (JavaScript/ECMAScript)
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- ISO standards
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**Trust for**:
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- Protocol specifications
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- Language semantics
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- Compliance requirements
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- Interoperability guarantees
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**Note**: Standards may describe ideal behavior; implementations may vary.
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### Benchmark Studies
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Comparative performance analysis.
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**Examples**:
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- TechEmpower web framework benchmarks
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- Browser performance comparisons
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- Database benchmarking suites
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- Independent performance tests
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**Trust for**:
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- Relative performance comparisons
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- Throughput/latency metrics
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- Memory usage patterns
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- Scalability characteristics
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**Verify**:
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- Benchmark methodology is sound
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- Test conditions match user's scenario
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- Results are recent (performance changes with versions)
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### Case Studies
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Real-world implementation experiences.
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**Examples**:
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- Engineering blog posts from known companies
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- Conference talks with implementation details
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- Published post-mortems
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- Migration stories
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**Trust for**:
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- Practical challenges and solutions
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- Scale considerations
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- Team/organizational factors
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- Production gotchas
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**Note**: Context matters - their constraints may differ from yours.
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### Community Consensus
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Aggregated community experience.
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**Examples**:
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- Stack Overflow voting patterns
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- GitHub stars/usage statistics
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- Survey results (State of JS, etc.)
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- Reddit/HN discussion trends
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**Trust for**:
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- Popularity indicators
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- Common pain points
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- Ecosystem health signals
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- Developer experience trends
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**Verify**: Community consensus can be wrong; cross-reference with higher-authority sources.
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## Cross-Referencing Requirements
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### Critical Claims
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Require 2+ independent sources for:
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- Security recommendations
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- Breaking changes
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- Performance claims
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- Migration paths
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- Best practices
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### Verification Strategy
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```
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Primary source → Secondary verification → Empirical test (if feasible)
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```
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1. Start with highest-authority source
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2. Find independent confirmation
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3. Test directly when possible
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### Conflict Resolution
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When sources disagree:
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| Factor | Resolution |
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|--------|------------|
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| **Recency** | Newer usually supersedes |
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| **Authority** | Higher-ranked source wins |
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| **Context** | Both may be right for different scenarios |
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| **Verification** | Empirical test is authoritative |
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Document unresolved conflicts with uncertainty flag.
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## Query-Type Authority Mapping
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| Query Type | Primary Source | Secondary | Tertiary |
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|------------|----------------|-----------|----------|
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| API Reference | Official docs | GitHub issues | Community Q&A |
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| Best Practices | Expert guides | Case studies | Community consensus |
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| Troubleshooting | GitHub issues | Stack Overflow | Official troubleshooting |
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| Performance | Benchmarks | Case studies | Community reports |
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| Security | Official advisories | Security researchers | Community discussion |
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## Freshness Requirements
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| Content Type | Acceptable Age |
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|--------------|----------------|
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| API reference | Current version |
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| Security advisories | Last 30 days |
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| Best practices | Last 1-2 years |
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| Tutorials | Last 1 year |
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| Benchmarks | Last 6 months |
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Older content may still be valid but requires verification against current state.
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