Subchapter 70.1

Evidence Ladder

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Use the strongest evidence practical for the decision. A higher class can still be stale, irrelevant, or too broad for the nearby claim.

Direct current observation — reproduced behavior, command output, inspected artifact, or measured result.
Authoritative primary source — official specification, dataset, law, documentation, first-party repository, or original research.
Independent corroboration — competent sources with distinct underlying evidence.
Explicit inference — a conclusion whose premises and assumptions are visible in the map.
Weak proxy — related metric, benchmark, anecdote, or test that does not exercise the exact claim.
Unsupported assertion — confidence, repetition, or polished language without evidence.

Source-region test

Use the strongest evidence practical for the decision. A higher class can still be stale, irrelevant, or too broad for the nearby claim.

Direct current observation — reproduced behavior, command output, inspected artifact, or measured result.
Authoritative primary source — official specification, dataset, law, documentation, first-party repository, or original research.
Independent corroboration — competent sources with distinct underlying evidence.
Explicit inference — a conclusion whose premises and assumptions are visible in the map.
Weak proxy — related metric, benchmark, anecdote, or test that does not exercise the exact claim.
Unsupported assertion — confidence, repetition, or polished language without evidence.

Relation	Use when	Common counterfeit
`supports`	The source increases reason to accept the target	Topical similarity
`contradicts`	Both cannot hold under the same scope and conditions	Different dates or populations
`qualifies`	The source narrows scope, strength, or applicability	Hiding inconvenient evidence
`missing`	A specific absent fact blocks or could reverse the target	Generic “more research needed”