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How claims are assessed
Evidence type, support and review state answer different questions.
There is no single truth score for an article. A correct calculation can rest on an unverified input. A well-sourced report can still describe an event that has not been independently confirmed.
1. Type
Reported facts and measurements, alleged leaks, model assumptions, calculated outputs, comparisons with independent measurements, inferences, forecasts and value judgments are labeled separately. A measurement by a vendor is a reported measurement; independence must be established, not inferred from the word “measurement.”
2. Support
This ordinal scale applies to empirical propositions. It is not a percentage or a mechanically computed veracity score.
- Conjectural
- A possibility without direct supporting evidence.
- Reported
- An attributable assertion exists; the underlying event or quantity remains unverified.
- Supported
- Inspectable evidence supports the exact proposition, with material limits stated.
- Corroborated
- Independent evidence converges. Copies of one leak or repeated vendor claims do not count as independent sources.
- Established within scope
- Repeated checks or decisive evidence support a narrowly specified proposition under stated conditions. Still open to revision.
Assumptions, conditional calculations and value judgments receive “Not applicable” where this ladder would mislead. Their review record instead states the chosen inputs, whether arithmetic was reproduced, or whose objective is being expressed.
Sources in other languages
Preserve facts and reporting in their original language and place a literal translation alongside them in the text. Maintain the first-party source’s voice, including its qualifications and ambiguities. Authors may add context in clearly labeled translation notes; those notes must remain separate from the source’s words.
3. Review state
Source checked means the named source supports the attributed statement. Arithmetic reproduced means the printed inputs reproduce the result. Replication completed requires the same data and method, with outputs compared. None alone establishes broader real-world validity.
Not reproduced, not independently verified, not validated and not established name the missing check. Unresolved interpretation means a conclusion goes beyond what its cited source establishes. Not yet resolvable marks a forecast whose outcome or criteria remain open; scope identified marks a stated value judgment. Unresolved conflict flags inconsistent accounts. Contradicted as labeled means available evidence conflicts with the specific wording. Evidence against a claim is different from lack of evidence.
4. Revision
Each record has a stable identifier, its sources, dependencies, review date and evidence that would change the assessment. Update the record when that evidence arrives, and retain a dated history. A downstream conclusion cannot acquire stronger empirical support merely by calculating from an uncertain input.
Letter grades assess the seven E² principles qualitatively: A indicates a clear, testable treatment; B a useful treatment with material gaps; C significant gaps; D a weak treatment; F a failure to engage the principle. Plus and minus indicate position within a band. Overall grades are editorial judgments, not arithmetic averages or truth probabilities.