Choose your role
Start from journalism, cybersecurity, image work, company research, suspicious links, or a general intake.
By role
The same archive becomes clearer when it starts from your task.
Not everyone begins OSINT from the same place. A journalist, a cybersecurity learner, and someone checking an image have different first questions. Choose a role and start with a safer path.
Short work order
Role first, question second, source third.
Write the first question
Decide what you are trying to prove and what would not count as evidence.
Open the path
Move to a source collection, case file, inquiry form, or report workflow.
Write the note
Separate findings, assumptions, confidence, and missing context.
Choose your role
Where are you starting from?
Suggested starting path
I work on journalism or public claims
Use this path when you need to separate the original claim, first source, date, context, and supporting evidence.
First question
What exactly is being claimed, and where might it have appeared first?
Break the claim into parts first. Then check source, date, image, and context as separate questions.
Write the claim in one sentence
Who is saying what, where, and when? Keep interpretation separate from evidence.
Look for the first source
Do not follow only reposts. Look for an original post, official statement, local source, or archive copy.
Check image and time
Look for old images, cropped video, wrong dates, and missing context.
Write with limits
Do not present an uncertain finding as fact. State confidence and what is still missing.
Expected output
A short verification note with sources, confidence level, and missing checks before publication.
Watch for
- - Do not treat a screenshot as proof by itself.
- - Do not collect more personal data than needed.
- - Do not assume the first source you found is the original source.
Continue with this role
Mini practice
Choose one headline, search the same claim in two independent sources, and compare publication dates.
What this is based on
The page follows practical verification habits.
The paths are adapted from common practice in journalism, OSINT research, phishing defense, and basic cybersecurity risk management. They are for training and legal research.
Verification HandbookA practical guide to verifying digital content for journalists and responders.GIJN Resource CenterResearch, data, safety, and reporting resources for investigative work.CISA phishing guidanceA defensive approach to reducing phishing risk early in the attack cycle.NIST Cybersecurity FrameworkA clear model for identifying, protecting, detecting, responding, and recovering.Bellingcat open-source investigation practiceOpen-source investigation practice with attention to geolocation, verification, and evidence chains.