references/document-source-handling.md

# Source documents and extracted visuals

When a source is a PDF, slide deck, spreadsheet, screenshot or chart, do not treat a short excerpt or filename as complete evidence. Read the relevant pages, cells, labels and notes using available document/data tools. For charts, distinguish data values from decorative annotations. Preserve units and record provenance. If a scanned figure cannot be read reliably, do not invent numbers from visual estimation.

A visual summary should be faithful to the source's grain, sample, time period and caveats. For example, do not sum item-level payments as though they were one row per customer, or compare metrics from different reporting periods without labeling it. For financial, medical, legal or other consequential charts, prefer deterministic data visualization with clearly sourced labels over illustrative image generation.

If the user asks for an editable document, slide presentation, spreadsheet or chart, use the corresponding document production tool when available. A PNG preview alone is not a fully editable source artifact. For a static infographic, identify the core message, extract verified values and place the source note where relevant.