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Source handoff checklist

Give the next person enough context to find a source and understand what happened to it.

By Jonathan Malchow Vega · Free · No signup

Start here

  1. Name the question and point to the source.
  2. Record the changes between the source and what you are sharing.
  3. Have a colleague try the handoff and note where they get stuck.

A useful finish: The next person can retrace the reference and see what has and has not been checked.

Use it here or take a copy

Fill in the browser worksheet below, or download the three-page workbook with a quick start, fictional example and two fillable pages.

Use the browser worksheetDownload fillable PDFDownload complete kit (ZIP)

Blank text template · Text example

Print pages 2 and 3 for a blank worksheet. Save and reopen a filled PDF to check your entries. Use the text template for longer notes.

See a completed fictional example

This example is invented to show how the worksheet works. It is not a client case study.

Claim or question
Does the fictional supplier register show supplier 42 as approved?
Source reference and access
Export EX-12, row 42, in the restricted supplier folder. Request access from the coordinator.
Creator and date
Coordinator exported the file on 12 October 2026. Original editor is unknown.
Changes made along the way
Row 42 copied into a briefing; other rows omitted. Original export retained.
What was checked
Compared the copied row with EX-12. Did not verify the approval event.
What the next person needs
Ask for the approval record before treating the status value as proof of a completed approval.

Write your own notes

Your entries stay in this page. Download before closing or refreshing. Nothing you enter is uploaded or stored by this tool.

State the question the source is being used to answer.

Record a stable reference and who may access it.

Separate what is known from what has not been established.

Note exports, cropping, filtering, transcription or other transformations.

Record the checks you actually performed and their limits.

Name missing context, access needs and a useful next action.

Read alongside the worksheet

Read the practical guide

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Version 1.1 · 19 October 2026. Adapt for personal or internal organizational work. Keep the author and source credit on blank copies shared internally. Share this page when recommending the resource.