Identify the claim in the repost
Start with one statement about a public project, published work or other non-sensitive topic. Record whether the statement appears in the repost title, the original content preview or a reply beneath it. Those locations can express different views.
Your task is tracing that statement to its source, not collecting unrelated details about commenters. Keep the review focused on the content necessary to understand the claim.
Open the original source from the preview
Reddit’s help calls the feature reposting, formerly crossposting. It explains that reposts include a preview identifying the original poster or commenter and the source community. It also notes that the repost title can be changed and that comments may be shared as posts where allowed. Source
Use the actual source link shown in the repost. Confirm which object opens: a post, an individual comment or another page. Do not assume a sentence in the destination title was written by the original author.
If the source is a comment, inspect the parent discussion before quoting it. A short answer may depend on a question or qualification that the preview does not display. The comment-in-context guide covers that closer reading.
Keep a source-chain note
| Layer | Save | Distinguish from |
|---|---|---|
| Repost | Its actual link and title | The original title and wording |
| Source object | Post or comment link, author label and community | The account that reshared it |
| Relevant context | Qualification, parent question or correction | Unrelated discussion |
| External reference | Any source the original actually cites | Another repetition of the same claim |
Imagine a repost title says a project has launched while the original says it is accepting early registrations. Preserve the original condition. Popularity in the destination community cannot resolve that wording difference.
Two reposts of the same source are two distribution instances. They are not two independent confirmations of the underlying claim. Follow any cited external evidence when you need to verify more than what the author stated.
Leave broken links and missing context unresolved
If the source no longer opens, record that limitation. Do not reconstruct it from a repost title or treat a surviving preview as a complete copy. A screenshot can preserve some visible material while omitting edits, replies or access restrictions.
Finish with the closest source you could actually inspect and a short explanation of its limits. Use the AI source-review checklist if a generated answer initially led you to the repost. An AI summary, repost and original comment can all repeat one assertion without adding independent evidence.