The Verification Process

Verification involves checking whether the proposed resolution for a market matches the actual outcome of the event. Verifiers typically:

• Review the proposed outcome against the market's resolution criteria

• Cross-check the result using trusted sources such as official event results, timestamps, or price data

• Analyze how the market traded on Polymarket, including screenshots of the order book or price chart, to understand participant sentiment and expectations

The Verification Team Handbook outlines all the verification procedures.

Most verifier discussions take place in the locked proposal thread, but others are welcome to ask questions or contribute in public channels such as #general or #voting-discussion.

Example

Let's take a look at a verification example.

In proposal-53838, the market asked: Will anyone say 'Netflix' 30+ times during the Q2 2025 Netflix earnings call?

Verifiers were required to provide their assessment, resolution, evidence, and the Polymarket order book. For this market, verifying a "No" proposal meant proving that the word "Netflix" was mentioned fewer than 30 times. Each instance had to be counted and presented as evidence.

Successful Verification

Once three verifiers successfully verify a proposal, their usernames are recorded for rewards.

Incorrect Verification

When a verifier incorrectly verifies a proposal, they can be bonked. A bonk occurs when a verifier provides incomplete or inaccurate evidence. Verifiers who are bonked face penalties, while those who submit a valid bonk receive rewards.

Dispute Alerts

If a proposal is under scrutiny, proposers may share their rationale and consider issuing a dispute alert. Dispute alerts are generally appropriate in two cases: when an answer is invalid or when the proposal or event is ambiguous.

A dispute alert typically includes a brief summary of the event, a link to the resolution source, and a DYOR (Do Your Own Research) tag to encourage others to review the evidence independently.

Here is the general template for a dispute alert.

Proposals that are disputed are not verified.

Archiving Proposals

Once a proposal has been verified, the proposal thread is closed. It is then deleted and archived to keep the Discord organized and focused on active proposals.

Archived verifications can be found in the #verification-transcripts channel.

Summary

Verification is the process of determining whether a submitted proposal matches the actual outcome of the event. Verifiers check against resolution criteria, cross-reference reliable sources, and review Polymarket trading data. The process takes place primarily in locked proposal threads, but community members can still engage in public channels and verify independently. Verifiers are rewarded for successful verifications and may face penalties for incorrect ones. Dispute alerts serve as a key tool when issues arise, and verified proposals are archived for future reference.

Coming Up

In the next chapter, we explore the verifier reward structure.