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A pale stone terrace above the sea, with a row of five circular wells rimmed in steel running towards the camera. Three are closed with clear glass, the fourth is lit sapphire blue from below, and the nearest stands open and dark with its glass cap resting on the stone beside it.

every claim traced to a source

Evidence register and due-diligence checklist

See what lies under every claim.

Try the register
The film: the register in 25 seconds. An illustrative example on a fictional cooperative; nothing is verified or sent.
What the film shows, in words
  1. See what lies under every claim.
  2. 5 claims logged. The conclusion rests on 4.
  3. 80% have a source. 2 key claims at risk.
  4. The output claim gets a dated primary source. 1 key claim at risk.
  5. The cooperative’s statement gets an independent check. No key claim rests on its own word.
  6. One logged claim was last checked 15 Jan 2024. Trace every claim. Then decide.

The demo: the worked example, one piece of evidence at a time

ExampleSupplier checks on a fictional cooperative. Names and figures are invented.

Five claims. The conclusion rests on four. Under two of them, the ground does not hold.

Step 1 of 4

The conclusion

rests on 4 key claims,2 at risk

Today9 Oct 2026

04

Annual output of about 900 tonnes

Request any primary evidence at all.

UnsourcedKey claim at risk

  • Depth: time since the source was checked
  • Width: your confidence, in three steps
  • Dashed to the bottom: no source
  • Outline: the organisation’s own word, undated, a lead or an assumption

4 of 5 sourced: 80%. Key claims at risk: 2 (03 self-reported, 04 unsourced). Stale checks: 1.

Claims logged
5
With a source
80%
Key claims at risk
2
Stale checks
1

Now your own claims, and the ground under them.

One row per claim. Tick the claims your conclusion depends on.

months

The conclusion

rests on 4 key claims,2 at risk

Today9 Oct 2026

01

About 1,200 member farmers

Membership register, seen on site · checked 12 Jun 2026 · Interview or site visit · Medium confidence

OKKey claim

  • Depth: time since the source was checked
  • Width: your confidence, in three steps
  • Dashed to the bottom: no source
  • Outline: the organisation’s own word, undated, a lead or an assumption

4 of 5sourced2at risk

Evidence register

  1. 01
  2. 02
  3. 03
  4. 04
  5. 05
Claim 1 of 5

What to request next

Live
5claims logged
80%with a source
2key claims at risk
1stale checks
Register
#ClaimSourceCheckedTypeConfidenceStatus
01About 1,200 member farmersMembership register, seen on site12 Jun 2026Interview or site visitMediumOK
02Incorporated and in good standingCertificate of incorporation, copy supplied2 Jun 2026Primary documentHighOK
03No child labour in the supply chainCooperative’s policy statement30 May 2026Organisation’s own statementHighSelf-reported, Confidence too high
04Annual output of about 900 tonnesUnknownUndatedNo source yetUnknownUnsourced
05Buyer contracts renewed for 2026Local news article15 Jan 2024Media reportMediumStale

Issues to resolve

  • Check: “No child labour in the supply chain” is self-reported.Seek independent corroboration: a document, register entry or site check.
  • Check: High confidence in “No child labour in the supply chain” is not supported by its source type.Lower the confidence or add a stronger source.
  • Gap: A conclusion rests on an unsourced claim: “Annual output of about 900 tonnes”.Request any primary evidence at all or mark the conclusion as unverified.
  • Check: “Buyer contracts renewed for 2026” was last checked 15 Jan 2024.Re-check it before the decision.

Unresolved questions

  1. 01
    What would confirm “No child labour in the supply chain”?Request independent corroboration: a document, register entry or site check.
  2. 02
    What would confirm “Annual output of about 900 tonnes”?Request any primary evidence at all.
Your editable templateEvidence register as an editable spreadsheet, with the unresolved-questions listTry this form

Practice 01: Research, evidence & evaluationFree · instant results on this pageTool owner: Michael Gagakuma and Prof. Wisdom GagakumaVersion 1.0 ·

GKM Strategic Advisory & AI

Evidence register

Your organisation

4 of 5 sourced2 key claims at risk

XLSX · 24 September 2026

Your register as it stands: every row with its status, and the list of unresolved questions.

Your editable template

Evidence register as an editable spreadsheet, with the unresolved-questions list, by email once delivery is connected.

Your evidence register as an editable spreadsheet, with the unresolved-questions list

Preview only. No email will be sent. Your results are available above.

Nothing you enter here is sent anywhere. Privacy notice

· a free brief, or book Michael · from USD 90

Four rules, and their limits.

The rules are published so you can check them. Each one draws a state you have seen in the ground above.

  1. 01

    A claim is unsourced when the source is blank or its type is “No source yet”.

  2. 02

    Evidence is stale when the check date is older than your threshold.

  3. 03

    A key claim is at risk when it is unsourced, self-reported, or held with low or unknown confidence.

  4. 04

    High confidence is questioned when the only source is a media report or the organisation’s own statement.

  5. 05

    A search result that has not been read is a lead, and the team’s own assumption is an assumption: neither counts as a source, and a key claim resting on either is at risk.

  6. 06

    A claim with a contradicting source stays unresolved until that source is taken out. “Independently verified” is printed only for a primary document, an official register or an interview or site visit, with a check date and a named reviewer, and no contradiction.

Looking down into one round well in the stone terrace: a steel rim, a steel liner going down to a bright floor, and partway down a band of sapphire glass.
Depth is age. One line marks where evidence becomes too old: you set it.

What it cannot tell you

  • The register records what you tell it. It does not verify documents or detect forgeries.
  • Confidence is your judgement; the rules only test whether it is consistent with the source type.
  • Do not paste personal data about individuals into the register.
  • “Independently verified” is your own record of a check. The register does not make the check, and permitted wording is yours to decide.

Quality ruleEvery conclusion links to a source or explicitly says unknown.

The same terrace from further back and higher: a plotted field of circular openings across the stone floor, a few lit from below, one of them sapphire.

When you need the whole investigation.

The register shows where your own evidence is thin. Tracing the sources themselves is a service.

Service · 01 Research, evidence & evaluationInvestor & donor due-diligence researchService · 01 Research, evidence & evaluationOutsourced research & analyst desk
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