Evidence-to-decision pilotA recommendation should be reversible.
The evidence trace connects each scoped conclusion back to the exact claims, assessments and source artefacts that support it. This is a two-product pilot, not complete catalogue coverage.
01Two exact productsValidated claim-level traces cover two of 160 catalogue records.
02Partial legacy projectionMissing snapshots, hashes and calculation links stay explicit.
03No purchase adviceBoth pilot outcomes support ranked comparison only.
The trace contract
Follow the conclusion in either direction
A citation identifies a source. A decision trace records what it supports, under which conditions, and whether changing it affects the result.
Preserve the source artefact
Record the canonical URL, publisher, source class, retrieval time, product scope and capture state.
Extract an atomic claim
Keep the source wording, raw value, normalised value, conditions, exact variant and checked time together.
Relate the evidence
Record support, contradiction, qualification, derivation, syndication and genuinely independent corroboration.
Assess for a purpose
Evaluate validity, applicability, independence, incentives, freshness, conflict and missing conditions separately.
Link the criterion contribution
Show which claims and assessments produced each material score contribution or eligibility gate.
State the decision scope
Distinguish ranked comparison, purchase advice, insufficient evidence and blocked outcomes.
Validated pilot coverage
Real records, visible gaps
Checked 28 Jul 2026, 16:00 BST. Counts come from the validated trace records, not the page render time.
6Source artefacts
22Atomic claims
20Claim relations
22Assessments
5Criterion contributions
6Unresolved cruxes
Meaco / evidence-trace-v1.0Meaco Pro 9000 BTU Portable AC
The exact GB model has enough traceable published information for its specification ranking. Controlled cooling and noise evidence, current availability and second-person review are absent.
- Atomic claims
- 10
- Contributions
- 0
- Blocking gaps
- 3
Anker / evidence-trace-v1.0Anker Laptop Power Bank (25K, 165W, Built-In and Retractable Cables)
The exact GB model has enough traceable published information for the category ranking. Delivered energy, sustained output, thermal behaviour and independent review remain unresolved.
- Atomic claims
- 12
- Contributions
- 5
- Blocking gaps
- 2
What the pilot does not proveIt does not establish complete evidence coverage, controlled performance, sensitivity, second-person review or purchase suitability. One pilot trace does not retain a criterion contribution ledger. Across the pilot, 5 gaps still block purchase advice.
Evidence classes
Different sources answer different questions
Authority is contextual. No source receives one universal trust score that settles every product question.
| Evidence class | Strongest normal use | Must not be treated as |
|---|
| Manufacturer specification or manual | Identity, dimensions, declared modes, warranty terms and published specifications. | Not independent performance evidence. |
| Retailer observation | Exact SKU price, stock, delivery scope and checked availability. | Not evidence of product quality. |
| Regulatory or certification record | Compliance inside the formal scope of the record. | Not a general performance endorsement. |
| Controlled measurement | The property measured under the recorded equipment, mode and conditions. | Not automatically valid for every real-world use. |
| Independent editorial test | Measured and observed context from a named external method. | Not an Agent Review Data test. |
| Owner report or discussion | Failure-mode discovery and qualitative ownership context. | Not a representative estimate of prevalence. |
| Commercial review pool | A source-specific native rating and issue-discovery pool. | Not internet-wide consensus. |
Build-out status“Missing evidence should weaken the conclusion, not disappear from the page.”
The current catalogue remains useful for ranked specification comparison. Claim-level traces will expand in bounded cohorts as source artefacts, assessments and calculation links are validated.