Source traceability
The ability to connect a material claim to its exact source and observation date.
Definition
The ability to connect a material claim to its exact source and observation date.
Practical test
Can a reviewer move from each material claim to the exact source passage, version, and observation date without guessing?
Example
A bibliography is not traceability when it leaves the reviewer to discover which document supports which sentence.
What to record
For source traceability to be operational rather than a reassuring label, record claim identifiers, passage identifiers, source version, effective date, observation date, and review result. If those facts cannot be observed or tested, do not treat the term itself as evidence that the workflow is safe.