Evidence Methodology
How we measure proof
Weights, freshness bands and score bands are EvidentraIQ design choices under calibration. They are not validated regulatory thresholds, certification criteria or universal industry benchmarks. No external source has been linked to them in this version, and they will be adjusted as the pilot methodology is calibrated.
Three scores, three different questions
Readiness
The control state you report in the assessment. It says what you believe is in place, not what you can prove.
Evidence Confidence
The strength of proof behind the controls you claim. It is calculated only from evidence records, never from answers.
Exposure
Potential exposure from missing, partial or unknown controls, weighted by business impact. Higher means more exposure.
Not a compliance or certification result. A high Evidence Confidence means your claims are well documented. It does not mean you comply with any law or standard, and EvidentraIQ does not certify anything. Legal conclusions stay with you and your advisers.
How one evidence record is scored
- Presence. If the document does not exist yet (only promised or planned), the record counts for nothing.
- Four dimensions. An existing record earns points for source authority, verification, freshness and confidence. Each has a fixed weight and the points add up to a maximum of 100%.
- Best record per control. If several records support one claimed control, the strongest one counts.
- Missing evidence. A claimed control with no evidence record contributes 0. With no records at all, Evidence Confidence is reported as unknown.
Dimension weights
| Source & authority | 20% |
| Verification | 35% |
| Freshness | 25% |
| Confidence | 20% |
Verification status
| verified | 100% |
| in review | 50% |
| unverified | 10% |
| rejected | 0% |
Source authority
| Primary/Authoritative | 100% |
| Recognised Framework | 90% |
| Peer-Reviewed | 90% |
| Internal/Customer | 80% |
| Industry/Secondary | 60% |
| EvidentraIQ Analysis | 30% |
An organisation's own records are the natural proof of its own controls, so they score well here. They can never be the authority for an external factual or regulatory statement.
Freshness bands (days since last checked)
| Current (0–90 days) | 100% |
| Recent (91–180 days) | 80% |
| Ageing (181–365 days) | 55% |
| Stale (over 365 days) | 25% |
| Never checked | 0% |
Pilot bands for v0.2, calibration stage. They are EvidentraIQ design choices, not regulatory requirements.
Confidence
| high | 100% |
| medium | 65% |
| low | 35% |
Score bands
Each 0–100 score is shown with a qualitative band. The number keeps the result reproducible; the band is how it should be read. Bands are the EvidentraIQ v0.2 interpretation, not external standards, and a difference of a few points is not meaningful on its own.
Readiness
| Strong | 80–100 |
| Established | 60–79 |
| Developing | 40–59 |
| Early | 0–39 |
Evidence Confidence
| Very high | 80–100 |
| High | 60–79 |
| Moderate | 40–59 |
| Low | 0–39 |
Exposure (higher = more exposure)
| Critical | 75–100 |
| High | 50–74 |
| Moderate | 25–49 |
| Low | 0–24 |
If no evidence has been assessed, Evidence Confidence is shown as "Unknown — no evidence assessed", never as a low score.
Methodology change log
- Change:
- Added the Rejected review status. A rejected record is gated to 0 in every dimension, like an absent artefact. 'In review' is shown as 'Needs review'. No weights, factors, freshness bands or score bands changed.
- Reason:
- Live evidence capture needs reviewers to be able to reject a record without it still earning provenance or freshness credit.
- Impact on historical scores:
- Scores for records that are not rejected are identical to v0.1. Submission snapshots made under v0.1 keep their version label.
- Change:
- Initial pilot methodology: presence gate; weighted source authority, verification, freshness and confidence; freshness bands; qualitative score bands.
- Reason:
- Establish a transparent, reproducible basis for Evidence Confidence before calibration with real customers.
- Impact on historical scores:
- First version — no historical scores exist to recalculate.
When a statement can be published
An external factual, regulatory or research statement is publication-ready only when it has a source reference, a checked date, a source type and a verified status. Customer/Internal Evidence and EvidentraIQ Analysis can never be the authority for such a statement. Anything else is labelled "Not publication-ready".