Think First · Practical tools
Guides &
Worksheets
Choose a guide for a worked example or a worksheet for a question of your own.
No prior knowledge of the Clarity Framework is needed.
8 guides3 worksheets1 inquiry collection
Start here
What are you trying to figure out?
Choose the question closest to yours.
Can I trust this claim?
Save the wording. Identify the source. Separate what is supported from what remains uncertain.
Use the Claim RecordTwo convincing accounts disagree.
Put both explanations beside the same facts. Examine what each explains and leaves out.
Compare the storiesA better number. A better result?
Look at the counting rule and comparison before accepting the improvement.
Read the numbersThis AI answer sounds right.
Check that its sources exist, support the sentence, and apply to the question.
Examine fluent answersThe claim changed. What happened?
Keep the first version and later changes together, with the evidence offered for each.
Follow the revisionIs this actually gaslighting?
Examine the pattern over time rather than drawing a conclusion from one exchange.
Examine the patternThe library · 8 guides
Read the method.
Each guide uses an example to explain a distinction worth making.
When Is It Actually Gaslighting?
Distinguish a mistake or disagreement from a repeated pattern of denying events and undermining someone’s judgment.
Read the guideWhen a Story Becomes Evidence
Separate what happened from the explanation and meaning attached to it. Notice when a story begins to replace the record.
Read the guideThe Sound of Authority
Follow information through successive versions of a public statement. Check which facts and limits survive each edit.
Read the guideWhat Happened to the Original Claim?
Put an original statement beside its later versions. Examine what changed, what was explained, and what remains unknown.
Read the guideWhy Fluent Answers Feel Trustworthy
Look beyond a polished answer. Find its sources, check what they actually support, and keep the conclusion within those limits.
Read the guideWhen the Numbers Improve but the Outcome Does Not
Check the denominator, counting rule, and comparison. Distinguish a better-looking metric from the outcome that matters.
Read the guideWhy Our Own Side Is Harder to Question
Give a claim you welcome the same scrutiny as one you doubt. Comparable questions do not require equal conclusions.
Read the guideHow to Examine a Promise About the Future
Record the starting point, deadline, conditions, and evidence needed to judge whether a promise was kept.
Read the guidePractice · 3 worksheets
Put it on paper.
Follow the worked example, then complete your own record.
Keep a copy of your work. The interactive worksheets do not save your notes. Copy or download them before leaving. Follow each worksheet’s instructions for printing.
Keep a Claim Record
Keep the exact words, source, evidence, limits, and your assessment together. Revisit the record when the evidence changes.
Use the worksheetCompare the Stories
Test two explanations against the same facts. Record their assumptions, missing evidence, and the conclusion justified for now.
Use the worksheetFollow the Revision
Preserve an original claim and its meaningful updates. Note what changed, why it changed, and what still needs checking.
Use the worksheetContinuing inquiry
Some questions deserve more than a quick answer.
Questions Worth Following
Six sample plans show how to define a question and choose evidence to seek. They describe no completed or ongoing studies.
When you need a little more context.
From reading to practice
From Distorted.
These resources draw on Distorted by Jim Detjen. Individual pages identify the relevant chapters and ideas.
You can use them without reading the book.
Explore DistortedBegin with one thing
Bring one claim.
The Claim Record keeps your sources and assessment together for the next time you revisit the question.
Spot a broken link or an unclear explanation? Suggest a correction.