Playbook: RAG source audit

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Define what an acceptable source means in your operation

Not every indexed document deserves the same weight. Decide what makes a source acceptable: validity, owner, traceability, sensitivity, format, and authority level. Without that criterion, the audit only counts files.

Sample by domain and by risk

The audit should cover common questions, critical questions, and problematic edges. Sampling only popular documents leaves untouched the zones where a wrong citation does the most harm.

Select domains by volume and criticality.
Review pairs of documents that often contradict each other.
Include failed questions reported by users.

Evaluate retrieval, citation, and context in one read

It is not enough to check whether the system found the correct file. You also need to check whether it chose the right passage, whether the citation is readable, and whether the retrieved context changes the meaning of the answer.

Classify defects by correction type

Every finding should land in an actionable bucket: missing metadata, poor chunking, obsolete document, broken permissions, or flawed answer instruction. That classification accelerates the backlog and avoids random fixes.

Close with cadence, not with a one-time audit

Source auditing is not a yearly event. It should become a short, recurring routine, especially when policies, manuals, or operating documents change frequently.

Unlock sampling script

Playbook: RAG source audit

Define what an acceptable source means in your operation

Sample by domain and by risk

Evaluate retrieval, citation, and context in one read

Classify defects by correction type

Close with cadence, not with a one-time audit

Unlock the full article

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