Define the question clearly.

A statement that can be checked against evidence.

Keep a published claim separate from a result measured by an independent method.

The conditions that give a statement its meaning.

Model version, market and publication date can change how a specification should be read.

An examination of published records.

It is the method used in the current model files, not a substitute for physical testing.

The exact model and version named by a source.

Similar family names do not establish that two records describe the same device.

The origin and history of an item of evidence.

Identify the publisher and retain the original reference.

The ability to repeat a documented method.

Sample identity, conditions and equipment belong in a defensible test record.

An unresolved limit on what can be concluded.

State the missing evidence rather than replacing it with an assumption.