Digital edition · illustrated viewDF.014 · Work · First edition
The Evidence Record
For one research question, record where you searched and the passages behind each claim. Mark evidence that supports, limits or contradicts a claim before writing the recommendation and its open questions.
- Edition
- First edition, 2026 · v1.0
- Page size
- A4210 × 297 mm
- US Letter216 × 279 mm · 8.5 × 11 in
- Cover options
- 8
- Files
- Print PDF
- Low-Ink PDF
- Fillable PDF
- Tablet PDF
- Interactive
- Available soon, with the Interactive and Complete Editions
What this edition lets you do
- Find the passage behind a claim
- Number sources and passages so another reader can check the source passage for each statement.
- Record contrary passages, limits and unanswered questions before writing the recommendation
- Mark each passage as supporting, limiting or contradicting a claim, so the recommendation shows the evidence behind it.
- Hand over the research
- Record the evidence cut-off date, supplied pages and claims that need another check.
For example You have researched whether a small organisation should trial a four-day week. The record shows which sources informed each claim, which claim was rejected and why the final recommendation differs from the first draft.
About this edition
The Evidence Record takes one research question from the first search to a written recommendation. Each source you use gets two pages. The first identifies it and records its status. The second records the exact passage and your interpretation. Each claim is then tested against those passages before it reaches the recommendation.
Contrary evidence, open questions and limits have their own pages. A further page logs any text-generating tool used, and another records the check performed before its output supports a claim.
The final pages record the status of each source, the recommendation and the handover. The next reader can see what was found, where it came from and what remains open.
Trace and test each claim
- Link each claim to its sources
- Searches, candidate sources, included sources, passages and claims each receive a numbered reference.
- Test a claim before using it
- Record the wording, population or subject, time period, terms to define and the passages that support, limit or contradict the claim.
- Record contrary evidence
- List the evidence that points the other way and its effect on the claim.
- Check source status
- Record whether a source is current, updated, corrected, withdrawn or retracted and the date checked.
- Record searches and exclusions
- The search log records where you searched, the terms, filters and results reviewed. Candidate sources are marked included, excluded or not found.
- Prepare the handover
- Record the recipient, supplied pages, evidence cut-off date, open questions and claims that need review.
Who it is for
- People researching one question to inform a decision or recommendation.
- People handing a finding to another reader with its sources and reasoning.
- People returning to a question later who need the earlier evidence and check dates.
See a completed example
Ellery & Finch, a UK architecture practice
Completed example · Fictional practice; published sources cited in the example are real.
The question is whether to run a 12-week four-day-week pilot. The record tests three claims against four published sources and one internal baseline. Two claims are supported with limits and one is rejected. The first recommendation is revised to an opt-in pilot, and the record closes on 20 February 2026 with its open questions listed. One cited article cannot be found and is recorded as Not found.
What you do
- Fill in the record details and research question.
- Set the scope and evidence cut-off.
- Log each search and number each candidate source.
- Complete Identify and check, then Locate and interpret, for each source used.
- Test and revise each claim, then weigh the evidence.
- Write the final recommendation, check source status and prepare the handover.
In use
In each format
- Print PDF
- Full-colour pages for printing.
- Low-Ink PDF
- Printable pages with reduced solid fills.
- Fillable PDF
- Fields for typing in a PDF reader. Tested in Chrome and Firefox.
- Tablet PDF
- Pages for handwriting and drawing in a PDF annotation app, with links between pages. The Extension Pack has its own Tablet file.
- Interactive Edition
- Available soon. The same evidence record for browser completion.
Interactive Edition · Available soon
Type into the pages in your browser. Each field holds what fits on the printed page and warns you near the limit. The project shows Saved after it is stored on the device.
Save a backup to continue on another supported browser or device. Export a reading PDF or fillable PDF.
Scope
Use one Evidence Record for one research question. You choose the sources, assess them and decide what the evidence supports.
Describe a method as systematic only when it followed a defined systematic-review method.
Questions
- What does it cover?
- One research question from brief to handover: scope, searches, candidate and included sources, passages, claims, contrary evidence, recommendation, source-status checks and the handover record.
- What is the Extension Pack for?
- It adds pages for a longer search: more search-log and candidate pages, source records, claim records and continuations of the claim list, matrix and version check.
- Which format should I use?
- Print for paper, Low-Ink for reduced solid fills, Fillable for typed PDF entries or Tablet for handwriting with a stylus. An Interactive Edition, for completing the record in your browser, is available soon.
- What is included?
- Single includes one cover in Print, Low-Ink, Fillable and Tablet PDF, the Extension Pack, completed example and Start Here. Interactive and Complete Editions are available soon: Interactive adds the browser edition, and Complete includes every cover in the listed formats and the Interactive Edition.
- Is the completed example included?
- Yes. Ellery & Finch and its internal information are fictional. The published sources cited in the example are real.
Version history
Updates within version 1 are included. Each one appears in your library with a note of what changed.
