Bounded answer
A locator is sufficient only when another reader can reach the exact passage, figure, table, theorem, or record that carries the bounded claim in the identified version. For DOI version relationships, preserve the DOI, publisher record, preprint or manuscript, version of record, correction, and access copy.
Input contract
What must be fixed first
Identified source and version
Bounded claim
Section, page, figure, table, or theorem marker
Access and rights basis
Procedure
Work the decision in order
- 1
Open the identified version.
- 2
Navigate using the proposed locator.
- 3
Confirm the located unit contains the supporting passage.
- 4
Record the smallest stable addressable unit.
- 5
Test the locator independently from the claim summary.
Expected outputs
- Exact locator
- Passage fingerprint
- Locator-completeness verdict
Refuse when
- The locator names only a homepage or abstract for a section claim.
- Page numbering belongs to another version.
- The passage can be found only by an undocumented text search.
- A DOI identifies a work or version according to its registration; it does not prove that every hosted copy is textually identical.
Questions this guide answers
What exact locator is sufficient for DOI version relationship?
A locator is sufficient only when another reader can reach the exact passage, figure, table, theorem, or record that carries the bounded claim in the identified version. Preserve the DOI, publisher record, preprint or manuscript, version of record, correction, and access copy.
What must be preserved for DOI version relationships?
The DOI, publisher record, preprint or manuscript, version of record, correction, and access copy.
When must the protocol refuse?
It must refuse when the locator names only a homepage or abstract for a section claim. or when the identified source cannot be inspected at the required depth.
Does a successful preflight verify the claim?
No. It shows that the evidence request is sufficiently structured to begin inspection; factual verification remains a separate stage.
What does this protocol not establish about DOI version relationships?
A DOI identifies a work or version according to its registration; it does not prove that every hosted copy is textually identical.
Limits
- A DOI identifies a work or version according to its registration; it does not prove that every hosted copy is textually identical.
- This protocol produces a preflight or evidence-structure finding, not a verified Evidence Dossier.
- No source is treated as inspected merely because its metadata or identifier resolves.