# 4. Prepare a source safely

**Start here:** Open the actual file in your normal document viewer. Inspect every page, comments and hidden material where relevant. Provide only a clean permitted excerpt, or use the fictional pack instead.

Inspect the actual excerpt or file before providing it. Check permission, current version and hidden private content; use the fictional pack if any of those are unresolved.

Before any upload, check both permission and content. A public document can be unsuitable if it is obsolete; a current document can be unsuitable if it contains private records.

```
Source title, version and effective date:
Owner and approved use in this tool:
No completed forms, individual records, credentials or private notes:
No hidden comments, extra sheets, metadata or identifying screenshots:
Relevant excerpt or file is readable:
Current master is stored at:
Known conflicts or missing pages:
Responsible reviewer:
```

Use blank forms and fictional examples. A black rectangle over text may not remove underlying data from a file. Use an approved redaction method and verify the resulting file, or create a clean permitted excerpt. Do not upload first and ask the AI whether it was safe afterward.

If sensitive information is submitted accidentally, stop and follow the school's incident process with the designated contact. Deleting the chat alone does not establish that disclosure is resolved.

### Check the particular material

Apply the source check to a permitted school excerpt or a non-sensitive personal project note. Inspect the actual file, including comments and extra pages, before providing it. If you cannot establish permission or remove private details safely, use a clean fictional example instead. Talking about a document can also disclose its contents.