Reading Evidence Card

Finishing a text is an action, not proof of comprehension. Copy this card into a private note for one article, chapter, or source set at a time. Do not record passwords, client data, unauthorised third-party information, or unnecessary personal details.

1. Define the task

# Reading Evidence — YYYY-MM-DD

Real context:
Task: locate information / follow an argument / build stamina / synthesise sources
Completion standard:
Time limit:

2. Record source and version

Item	Notes
Author, title, and link
Edition, publication date, or chapter
Access date
Length and reading time
Author position or conflict of interest
Quotation, image, and copyright boundary

Web pages can change, become paid, or disappear. Keep the citation details you need; do not copy an entire article without permission.

3. Capture first-pass evidence

One-sentence gist:
Order of the article or chapter:
Three details remembered after the first pass:
Words or sentences that truly blocked meaning:
First-pass time:

Finish the first pass before looking things up. Unknown-word count diagnoses material difficulty; it does not directly set a proficiency level.

4. Rebuild claims and evidence

Paragraph/page	Function	Author claim	Evidence or example	Limitation or question

Separate “what the author says” from “whether I agree”. For technical, health, legal, or financial claims, return to reliable primary sources or qualified professional advice.

5. Mark the inference boundary

Facts stated directly in the source:
Inference supported by the source:
My own judgment or association:
Evidence still missing:
One example that could disconfirm my current judgment:

If a conclusion rests only on emotion, a headline, or one anecdote, mark it as a hypothesis rather than a fact.

6. Test transfer

Date	Condition	Output	Score/feedback
Day 1	Close the source and rebuild the structure in five sentences	Summary and one inference
Days 3–7	Read a parallel text on a related topic	Gist, evidence, and differences
Day 30	Use a new topic or real task	One-page report, explanation, or retelling

Score 0–2 for gist, structure, evidence, inference boundary, and delayed retelling. Reading faster without explaining the evidence is not complete progress.

7. Choose the next step

The skill this material trains best:
The largest barrier it exposed:
One variable to lower or raise next time:
Keep as the main source: yes / no / downgrade to extensive reading
Next parallel source:
Next review date:

Related chapter: Reading: From Word-by-word Translation to Claims and Evidence