How claims are assessed

ClaimReview markup explained

Last checked 6 November 2026 · 6 sources

Short answer

ClaimReview is a schema.org type that describes a fact-checking review of a claim made in some creative work ¹. Fact-checkers add it to their pages as structured data so that search engines and tools can read the claim, who made it and the verdict. Google's documentation lists claimReviewed, reviewRating and url as required fields ². Google says it is phasing out support for ClaimReview in Google Search, and that the markup remains supported by its Fact Check Explorer tool ².

Defined by: Schema.org, as a subtype of Review ¹
Required fields (Google): claimReviewed, reviewRating, url ²
Required rating field (Google): alternateName ²
Status in Google Search: Being phased out, per documentation updated 8 September 2026 ²
Still read by: Google Fact Check Explorer ²

What ClaimReview is

Schema.org is a shared vocabulary for structured data on web pages. It defines ClaimReview as a fact-checking review of claims made or reported in some creative work, which is referenced through the itemReviewed property ¹. ClaimReview sits under Review, which sits under CreativeWork ¹.

Its own property is claimReviewed, a short text summary of the specific claim being reviewed ¹. The rest of the fields come from Review and related types.

The main fields

Field	Level	Status in Google's documentation
claimReviewed	ClaimReview	Required ²
reviewRating	ClaimReview	Required ²
url	ClaimReview	Required ²
author	ClaimReview	Recommended ²
itemReviewed	ClaimReview	Recommended ²
appearance or firstAppearance	Claim inside itemReviewed	Recommended, one or the other but not both ²
datePublished and author	Claim inside itemReviewed	Recommended ²
alternateName	Rating	Required, holds the verdict text ²
ratingValue, bestRating, worstRating, name	Rating	Recommended ²

Where the verdict goes

The verdict wording sits in alternateName. Each publisher chooses its own wording. A PolitiFact page can carry Pants on Fire ³ and an Africa Check page can carry Misleading or Unproven ⁴. The numeric fields are optional in Google's documentation ².

The EFCSN Code asks its members to publish their process for selecting and investigating claims, including any rating system ⁵. That published scale is what gives the alternateName text its meaning.

Google's eligibility rules

The site must have several pages marked with ClaimReview ².
Websites of political entities, such as campaigns, parties or elected officials, are not eligible ².
The site must have a corrections policy or a way for users to report errors ².
The claim must be attributed to a distinct origin separate from the fact-checker's website ².
The markup must match the page content, so both give the same verdict ².
Using the markup does not guarantee that a result will show ².

The phase-out in Google Search

Google's documentation, last updated on 8 September 2026, says Google is phasing out support for ClaimReview markup in Google Search. It says the markup remains supported by the Fact Check Explorer tool ².

The schema.org type itself stays in the vocabulary. The schema.org page for ClaimReview was part of release V30.1, dated 16 September 2026 ¹. Fact-checkers can keep publishing the markup for other tools that read it.

Rules behind the markup

The markup does not check the quality of the work. That role falls to codes such as the IFCN Code of Principles, which asks signatories to correct mistakes openly and to publish their methodology ⁶. Google's corrections rule mirrors that requirement ^2,6.

Common questions

Is ClaimReview still shown in Google Search?

Google's documentation says it is phasing out support for ClaimReview in Google Search. The markup remains supported by Fact Check Explorer ².

What fields does ClaimReview need?

Google lists claimReviewed, reviewRating and url as required, and alternateName as required inside the rating ².

Can a political party use ClaimReview?

Google says websites of political entities such as campaigns, parties or elected officials are not eligible for the feature ².

Who defines ClaimReview?

Schema.org defines it as a fact-checking review of claims made or reported in some creative work ¹.

Rules and charges change. Check the official source linked on this page before you pay or travel. Spotted an error? Email hello@theclaimregistry.com.

Sources

How fact-checkers assess a public claim
How professional fact-checkers pick a claim, gather evidence, ask the claimant, review the work and publish a verdict, under the IFCN and EFCSN codes.
Fact-check rating scales compared
What True, Mostly True, Half True, Misleading, Unproven and Pants on Fire mean at PolitiFact, Africa Check and others, and why some checkers use no scale.
The IFCN Code of Principles explained
The five IFCN commitments for fact-checkers, how signatories are assessed and renewed, the US$350 fee, and how it compares with the EFCSN code.