Glossary

Evidence posture

The reading a body of evidence supports: Verify (solid enough to confirm application), Investigate (an open question with a known way to close it), or Hold (do not proceed on current evidence). A posture is a state of the evidence, never advice about the purchase.

Proof gap

A claim relevant to a decision that no available source currently supports. Gaps are recorded as first-class results: an examination that hides its gaps is incomplete, not clean.

Source class

The independence grade of a source. Class 1 is primary and independent: a law, a registry, a bank record. The classes descend through the seller’s own documents to repetition and weak signals; the full ladder is published on the method page. Repeating a claim never raises its class.

Decision assurance

Examining the evidence behind a decision before it becomes irreversible — as distinct from advising the decision itself. Assurance ends where advice begins.

Human gate

The rule that no automated step accepts a case, sets a posture, or takes money. Machines draft and route; a person verifies, decides scope in writing, and signs what ships.

These definitions are versioned with the method. Substantive changes are logged on the corrections page.