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Templates The number audit

The number audit

A table for tracing every figure in a draft back to where it came from, plus checks on claim levels, quotes, arithmetic and citations. Sign and date at the bottom.

A final trace-back catches common high-consequence errors in numbers, claim levels, quotes and citations. Run it after the last substantive edit.

Who it is for

  • Anyone submitting a report that an accreditation file depends on
  • Managers signing off work drafted with an AI tool
  • Anyone who has ever wondered where a number in a draft came from

What is inside

  • A trace table: every figure, where it came from, and a box to tick
  • The claim check, for outcome levels that have quietly been bumped up
  • The quote check, because paraphrase gets presented as quotation
  • The arithmetic check: totals, percentages, and figures that contradict each other
  • The source check for citations and accreditor requirements
  • A signature and date line at the bottom

How to use it

  1. Run it on the final draft. After your last edit, not before, or you will have to do it twice.
  2. Highlight every digit. Then write down where each one came from. Anything you cannot trace gets deleted.
  3. Check the claims against what you measured. Satisfaction data written up as competence is the most common problem.
  4. Sign it. A checklist you sign gets done. One you file gets skipped.
Time to fill in
15 minutes per report
Used by
Outcomes reports, anything with numbers in it
Format
Microsoft Word (.docx), editable

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Or see every template, or read the 60-minute session plan for running this with your team.