Glossary
What Is an Evidence Block
An evidence block is a fixed seven-item module that presents evidence inside a page, not a footer disclaimer.
- Author
- Xingge
- Published
- 2026-11-09
- Updated
- 2026-11-09
- Level
- L2 Reproducible
- Version
- 1.0
Term details
- Name
- What Is an Evidence Block
- Type
- Glossary
- ID
- evidence-block-en
What Is an Evidence Block
An evidence block is a fixed seven-item module that presents evidence inside a page: claim, basis, publisher, date, location, excerpt, and link. It is a verification entry point, not a footer disclaimer.
Definition
This site's working definition: an evidence block follows a key claim closely, and all seven items are required; when an item is missing, delete the claim rather than leaving a blank placeholder.
Each of the seven items has a role: the claim for citation, the basis for identification, the organization for attribution, the date for timeliness, the location for finding the clause, the excerpt for spot checks, and the link for reaching the original text.
Boundaries: what it is easily confused with
| Easily confused concept | Key difference |
|---|---|
| References | References often lack location and excerpt, so they cannot be verified item by item |
| Disclaimer | A disclaimer does not carry claims |
| Footer copyright | Copyright information is unrelated to evidence |
Common misconceptions
- Writing an evidence block as a disclaimer. The two serve different purposes.
- Providing a link without a location. Readers still have to search by themselves, which adds clicks.
- Writing excerpts over 200 characters. The excess involves citation boundaries and copyright risk.
Basis and verification
This definition is this site's working definition, marked L2. The seven-item structure and examples are on the relevant method page in the method index, and templates are in the checklist index.
Review cycle: 180 days.
Related sections: glossary index, method index, metric index, editorial policy.