The Evidence Compiler connects an explicit claim to the exact annotations that inform it. Everything stays in the local Redline vault, and every relation remains inspectable and exportable.
1. Create a claim
- Open the full Library and choose Evidence in the left navigation.
- Choose a dossier. Claims live inside a dossier so their question, sources, and exports stay together.
- Write one precise, testable statement and create the claim. You can also start in an open dossier’s Evidence panel.
- Use Draft, Active, or Closed for workflow state, and add a conclusion when your review is ready.
A claim is different from an annotation type named Claim. An annotation preserves or comments on a passage; an Evidence Compiler claim is the proposition that several passages can support, challenge, qualify, or contextualize.
2. Attach a saved passage as evidence
- Open a saved annotation in Library → Annotations.
- Choose Attach as evidence. The exact saved quote remains visible while you make the relation.
- Select an existing claim, or create a new claim in a dossier without losing the annotation context.
- Choose the relation and optionally add a rationale that explains why the passage matters.
Attach the saved annotation, not merely a source URL. That preserves the passage, its source record, and the anchor data Redline uses to return to the relevant text.
3. Classify the relationship
| Relation | Shown as | Use when the passage… |
|---|---|---|
| Supports | Supporting | Directly adds weight to the claim. |
| Contradicts | Challenging | Conflicts with or argues against the claim. |
| Qualifies | Contextual | Limits the claim or states an important condition. |
| Defines | Contextual | Clarifies a term, scope, or standard used by the claim. |
| Supersedes | Contextual | Shows newer evidence replacing an earlier position. |
| Raises question | Contextual | Exposes an unresolved issue that changes the review. |
Relations are explicit and reversible. Removing one unlinks the passage from the claim; it does not delete the annotation or source.
4. Review the compiled claim
The claim view groups exact passages into Supporting, Challenging, and Contextual evidence. Each item keeps its source, quote, relation, and rationale together. Open the annotation or source passage to inspect the original context.
When you have considered challenging evidence, choose Mark challenging evidence reviewed. Redline records that review; it does not hide or delete the challenge. The compact audit counters use the same card language as the Library dashboard so the supporting, challenging, and contextual totals remain scannable.
5. Read the deterministic audit
| Audit state | What Redline found | Useful next action |
|---|---|---|
| Unsupported | No available passage is linked as supporting evidence. | Attach a supporting passage or keep the gap visible. |
| Single source | Available supporting evidence comes from one source. | Look for independent sourcing where the claim warrants it. |
| Challenged | At least one available passage contradicts the claim. | Review the challenge and record your conclusion. |
| Unresolved contradiction | Challenging evidence has not been marked reviewed. | Inspect every challenge, then mark the review. |
| Evidence unavailable | A relation points to a missing or deleted annotation or source. | Restore or repair the record, or intentionally unlink it. |
| Anchor review | A related passage has an unresolved or needs-review text anchor. | Compare the saved quote with the live source. |
The same local records always produce the same audit result. The rules do not fetch reputation data, rank publishers, or assign a score.
6. Follow the trail back to the source
Use a relation’s annotation action to inspect the saved record, open its source passage on the live page, or review its preserved Source Witness context. Restored anchors can take you to the text; Needs review and Unresolved mean the saved quote remains available but the current page could not be matched confidently.
When a later readable capture changes a block used by an annotation, Redline marks the selector as affected and links the dependent claim back to the focused comparison. The claim shows Evidence changed — review required; this is a review obligation, not an automatic truth verdict.
7. Search, back up, and export
Library → Search includes claim text and conclusions. Claims and relations are also part of the full All data JSON backup. CSV exports include claims.csv and evidence-relations.csv; XML and Markdown exports preserve the compiled evidence trail in their native structure.
Scoped exports close over the evidence graph. A selected claim brings its relations, annotations, and source pages; an included annotation brings its claim and the rest of that claim’s evidence trail. This prevents a focused export from separating a conclusion from the passages used to assess it.
What the Evidence Compiler does not do
- It does not decide whether a claim is true or score source credibility.
- It does not automatically turn every Claim-type annotation into a compiled claim.
- It does not infer relations or build an unrestricted knowledge graph.
- It does not synchronize or collaborate through a hosted Redline service.