Evidence Standards

Not every UAP claim carries the same weight. This site sorts every claim and document it publishes into one of four tiers. The tier is shown on the briefing or note where the claim appears, so you can see at a glance how far the source alone takes you.

The tier rates the source, not the truth of the claim. A primary document can still be mistaken. A rumour can still turn out to be right. The tier tells you how much confidence the evidence supports on its own, before anything else is added.

T1, firsthand and on the record

A named person describing what they personally saw, did, or were told, under their own name. Example: a pilot's own signed account of an encounter.

T2, primary document

An official record from a government, military, contractor or agency. Example: a PURSUE mission report, or a State Department cable.

T3, secondhand or relayed

An account at one remove: an insider claim passed through a journalist or filmmaker, or a witness relaying what someone else told them. Example: the Dan Farah claims note.

T4, unverified claim or rumour

A claim with no supporting document and no named firsthand source behind it.

How this site applies the tiers

This site will not present a T3 or T4 claim with the confidence of a T1 or T2 one. Where a briefing rests on a mix of tiers, the briefing says so.