Option D preserves the evidence instead of manufacturing certainty. The two estimates are not directly interchangeable: one is an industry estimate with unspecified methodology, while the other is a peer-reviewed estimate with an explicit confidence interval. Converting both into model-generated confidence scores and calculating a weighted average would create a new figure that neither source reported and that may have no statistical validity. Anthropic’s hallucination-reduction guidance recommends making claims auditable through quotations, citations, and supporting evidence rather than presenting unsupported synthesis as fact. Its Citations documentation similarly emphasizes retaining the exact source passages supporting individual claims. Filtering uncertain findings, option B, would remove decision-relevant information. Requiring two-source corroboration, option C, could also discard credible evidence concerning emerging or specialized subjects. The synthesis agent should report the estimates separately, explain their methodological differences, identify which findings are strongly supported or disputed, and state what evidence would resolve the disagreement. This produces calibrated, useful reporting without arbitrary selection, excessive hedging, or false precision.

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