Documents, map and photograph linked to a conclusion by provenance threads in an archive room

GUIDE / EVIDENCE

Trace the evidence behind a claim

A citation, screenshot and figure may appear to agree while all deriving from one source. An evidence chain exposes every step.

Five links to documentA short, reproducible recordWhere the chain breaks

01 / GUIDE / EVIDENCE

Start with the exact claim

Write down the precise claim, its date and the decision it should inform. Split it into testable facts: who, what, where, when and under which definition. A source supporting one part does not validate the rest.

Guides

02 / GUIDE / EVIDENCE

Five links to document

The conclusion can be no stronger than its weakest link. Keep an accessible reference and explicit limitation for each one.

01

Primary object

Open the original document, dataset, image or recording. A search result or summary is insufficient when the underlying record is available.

Record to retain · Exact URL and identifier
02

Publisher and remit

Identify who produced the record, in which role and for what scope. A public statement is not an independent finding.

Record to retain · Author, institution and remit
03

Time and version

Separate event, publication, capture, correction and access dates. Compare versions when a past state matters.

Record to retain · Timestamps and retained version
04

Transformation

Record extraction, translation, calculation, crop or synthesis. Retain parameters so another reader can locate the passage.

Record to retain · Steps and parameters
05

Corroboration

Find a genuinely independent source and a possible counterexample. Two copies of one report are not two pieces of evidence.

Record to retain · Independent source and countercheck

03 / GUIDE / EVIDENCE

A short, reproducible record

Four actions preserve the link between the record, analysis and decision.

  1. 01

    Fix the question

    Record the initial wording, period, jurisdiction and certainty needed for the decision.

  2. 02

    Collect without rewriting

    Keep URL, identifier, date, version and any permitted copy; separate the original from your notes.

  3. 03

    Trace inferences

    For each sentence of the synthesis, identify the record, exact passage, transformation and assumptions.

  4. 04

    Publish the limit

    State what the records establish, what they suggest and what remains unavailable or unchecked.

04 / GUIDE / EVIDENCE

Where the chain breaks

These situations need different checks.

01

A register conflicts with an article

Compare entity identifier, date, status and filings. A current register does not automatically reconstruct the past.

Read the dossier
02

A photograph loses its context

Find the earliest publication and independent clues to place and time before attributing an event.

Read the dossier
03

An AI answer cites a page

Open the cited page, locate the passage and check whether the generated wording respects its scope.

Read the dossier

05 / GUIDE / EVIDENCE

Method references

01

W3C · PROV Overview

02

Library of Congress · PREMIS

06 / FAQ

Provenance questions

Is an official source enough?

It may establish what its institution publishes within its remit. It does not necessarily prove execution, causation or the absence of other facts.

Should a copy be retained?

Retain a version where law and terms allow, alongside URL and date. An isolated copy without context remains weak.

How should conflicting evidence be handled?

Keep it in the record. Describe the difference, check dates and definitions, then revise or suspend the conclusion.

07 / Discuss a context

From record to decision

A short, dated and verifiable chain exposes uncertainty before it becomes a public claim.

Discuss a contextGuides