Evidence has provenance
A useful evidence item retains where it came from, when it was obtained, who handled it, what it directly shows, and any limits on its use or reliability.
An inference connects evidence to meaning
A record may show an address, an image may show a vehicle, and an observation may show a person entering a property. The relationship among those facts is an analytic judgment and should be described as one.
Confidence belongs to the conclusion
Confidence reflects the quality, independence, recency, consistency, and completeness of the supporting information. It is not a decorative percentage and should not exceed the evidence beneath it.
Contradictions remain part of the answer
Conflicting information should be preserved and explained. Removing it may make a report appear cleaner, but it makes the conclusion less reliable and less reviewable.
Unknown is a valid result
When available information cannot support a responsible conclusion, the correct result is a defined information gap and a description of what collection would resolve it.