Build a complete, visible source catalog
A policy tool should begin with the official collection, not a convenient handful of documents. Each record needs a stable identifier, title, publisher, source URL, effective-date evidence and a visible processing status.
Broken or unavailable source links should remain visible with an issue label. Quietly removing them creates a false impression of complete coverage.
Practical checklist
- Detect duplicates and missing document links.
- Preserve source URLs and immutable file hashes.
- Show catalog-only, full-text and reviewed-answer coverage separately.
- Record when each source was checked.
Keep retrieval, quotation and interpretation distinct
A search match is not automatically an answer. The system should distinguish a document title match, a verified page extract and an interpretive summary.
Bilingual access can translate navigation and explanations while keeping the controlling official title and document visible. Users should know when a Spanish explanation is informational rather than an official translation.
Practical checklist
- Link directly to the official document whenever possible.
- Include page or section references with excerpts.
- Label generated summaries and reviewed interpretations.
- Preserve the controlling source language.
Design abstention as a useful result
When evidence is missing, corrupted or outside the reviewed scope, the safest answer is a clear boundary. The product can still show relevant catalog records and explain what evidence is unavailable.
A policy search tool explains public material; it does not replace an agency decision, appeal, grievance, professional review or legal advice.
Practical checklist
- Do not infer case-specific outcomes from general policy text.
- Show why a source was withheld from substantive answers.
- Provide correction and source-refresh workflows.
- Escalate security-sensitive or unsupported questions.
Common questions
What does citation-first mean?
It means evidence is part of the answer: official document, page or section, source link and a visible distinction between text and interpretation.
Can policy search give legal advice?
No. It can organize and explain public sources, but it does not determine rights, outcomes or deadlines for an individual matter.
How should broken official links be handled?
Keep the catalog record visible, label the source issue and exclude unavailable text from substantive answers.