Evidence Gathering Kit

1. Define the question

Write the question you need to answer in one sentence. Name the date range and the people or service involved.

Describe what a useful output would look like. Keep questions separate from conclusions.

2. Preserve and index the originals

Keep originals unchanged. Work from a separate copy and record where each item came from.

Give every item a unique source ID. Record its title, author if known, date received, file location and any missing pages.

Only collect material you may lawfully access. Share the minimum necessary information through an agreed secure route.

3. Build the chronology

Record the event date and the record date separately. Do not silently fill a missing date.

Describe each event neutrally and link it to a source ID and page or section.

Mark each entry as sourced fact, reported account, inference or unresolved. Two copies of the same account are not independent confirmation.

4. Keep uncertainty visible

Log contradictory accounts side by side. State what would help resolve the difference.

List missing records, the reason they matter and the person who can request or check them.

Record alternative explanations and evidence that challenges your preferred account.