Fact Check Schema

Fact Check Schema

The Fact Check schema is utilized by news organizations, fact-checking websites, and publishers to provide structured details about the veracity of claims made in content. It enables search engines to understand the specifics of fact-checking efforts listed on a website, thereby enhancing their visibility in search results.

Implementing the Fact Check schema is similar to using other specific schemas. It involves giving search engines precise information about the fact-checked claims. When a Fact Check schema is added to a webpage, it outlines essential information such as the claim being examined, the conclusion of the fact-check, and the explanation of the fact-checking process. This markup improves how fact-checked claims are presented in search results, offering users immediate insights into the credibility of the information.

For fact-checking entries, the Fact Check schema includes both mandatory and optional fields, as follows:

Mandatory Fields:

claimReviewed: The claim that is being fact-checked.

datePublished: The date when the fact check was published.

author: The organization or individual conducting the fact check.

reviewRating: The outcome of the fact check, usually represented as a rating indicating the truthfulness of the claim.

Recommended Fields:

dateModified: The date when the fact check was last updated, if applicable.

itemReviewed: Details about the specific item (e.g., statement, news article) being fact-checked.

claimInterpreter: The organization responsible for interpreting the claim, if different from the author.

url: The direct URL to the fact-checking article or report.

image: Images related to the fact check, such as logos of the fact-checking organization or relevant visual evidence.

publisher: The entity responsible for publishing the fact check, if different from the author.

While the mandatory fields are essential for a valid Fact Check schema, including the recommended fields can greatly enhance the user experience by offering more comprehensive details. This, in turn, can positively impact the visibility of fact-checking efforts in search results, making it easier for users to find and understand the context and veracity of information.
Note! The Fact check schema is also found as the Claim Review schema.

How to access Fact-Check schema using Rich Snippets

Access it from METAs – Rich Snippet – Fact-Check

Clicking on the “+” symbol will open up a panel where you can start editing and customizing your Schema Template.

A pop-up will appear

Add your data, a question and its answer.
Mandatory fields will have small red starlike symbol (*) added to them:
Description – summarizes the claim that is being checked and may include an overview of the fact-checker’s findings. It’s meant to provide both search engines and users with a clear, concise summary of what the fact check is about and what was concluded.

This field is {{excerpt}} meaning that it will import a brief summary or snippet of the content on the page, and is added automatically, but it can also be manually inserted.

Rating – This section provides a structured way to represent the outcome of the fact check.

Rating Minimum – This property defines the lowest possible score in the rating system. Using the same 1 to 5 scale example, where 1 signifies the least truthful, worstRating would be “1”.
Rating Maximum – Defines the highest possible score in the rating system used. For example, if the rating system is from 1 to 5, with 5 being the most truthful, then bestRating would be set to “5”

Alternate Name – Provides a textual description or label for the numeric rating, allowing for a more nuanced interpretation of the ratingValue. For example, a ratingValue of “1” on a scale of 1 to 5 might have an alternateName of “False” or “Mostly False”, depending on the specifics of the rating system.

URL – Use a valid, fully qualified URL that points directly to the page where the fact check is published.
Example: “https://example.com/fact-check/the-claim-review”

Published date – Should be formatted according to the ISO 8601 standard, which is widely recognized and used for date-time representation. This standard helps to avoid confusion by providing a clear, unambiguous format. The format is YYYY-MM-DD for just the date, or you can extend it to include time in UTC as YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SSZ.

Author name – Specify the author of the content, you can use either a Person or an Organization type, depending on whether the author is an individual or an entity. The name of the author or organization is provided in the name property within the author object.

Published Date – should be formatted according to the ISO 8601 standard, representing the date (and optionally time) the content was published

Headline – used to specify the headline or title of the article or fact check. This should be a concise and clear title reflecting the content of the page, should be between 50 to 70 characters

Image – Helps provide a visual representation related to the fact check. This could be an image of the claim source, a graph, a chart, or any visual aid that supports the fact-checking content.

Example: “https://example.com/image-url.jpg”

Performer Specifies – the person or organization responsible for conducting the fact check.
Name – The name of the person or organization that performed the fact check
Website or Social link – The url property should point to the official website of the author (performer) of the fact check. 

Make sure to click on Save

With this you have a Fact-check schema set up. All there is left to do is check it up and see if it works as expected

Verify Markup

After saving your changes, you can verify that the Fact-check schema markup has been added correctly by viewing the page or post source code. Look for the JSON-LD markup representing the Fact-check schema.

1. Click on JSON-LD Code – Validate JSON-LD

2. A new page / tab will open you will get you test code, click on TEST CODE

3. A small pop-up appears, and you will have to wait a few moments for the data to be processed
4. Once data is processed, you will be able to see your work, test it, share it and use it to enhance your work.

For further details, we recommend referring to the following resources
Fact check or Claim Review Schema
Fact check (ClaimReview) structured data

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