Evidence Labels

Evidence labels tell the reader what kind of claim they are looking at. They prevent a convention from sounding like a theorem, an approximation from sounding exact, or an interpretation from sounding like an experimental fact.

Use labels when the claim type might otherwise be ambiguous. A page does not need to label every sentence.

For quantum-technology claims, Claims, Hype, and Evidence Standards extends this site-wide vocabulary into a task, baseline, resource, verification, uncertainty, and scope audit. Claims and Evidence Checklist then provides the practical reader worksheet and disposition rules.

Standard Labels

Label	Use for
Definition	A meaning assigned to a term or object.
Convention	A chosen notation, sign, normalization, phase, or unit system.
Postulate	A formal rule taken as part of a formulation of quantum mechanics.
Theorem	A mathematically proved result under stated assumptions.
Derivation	A calculation from earlier assumptions or formulas.
Approximation	A controlled or standard simplification with a domain of validity.
Experimental Result	A reported measurement or empirical observation.
Numerical Evidence	A computational result that supports but does not prove a claim.
Interpretation	A statement about meaning, ontology, or explanatory framing.
Open Problem	A question not settled by current theory or evidence.
Speculative Idea	A conjectural or exploratory proposal that should not be treated as established.
Historical Note	A statement about chronology, priority, or historical context.

How to Write Labels

Use a compact prose label when helpful:

Convention. The Fourier transform uses symmetric factors of $(2\pi\hbar)^{-1/2}$.

Approximation. The rotating-wave approximation neglects terms oscillating rapidly compared with the near-resonant dynamics.

Interpretation. The state vector’s ontological status depends on the interpretive framework and is not fixed by the Born rule alone.

Do not turn labels into decorative badges. They should clarify epistemic status.

Labeling Rules

• A convention can be useful, standard, and arbitrary at the same time.
• A derivation is only as strong as its assumptions.
• An approximation needs a regime, small parameter, or physical reason.
• A theorem needs hypotheses.
• An experimental result needs a source and enough context to identify what was measured.
• An interpretation should not be written as if it were an operational rule.
• A speculative idea should not appear in a beginner-facing page unless it is explicitly framed.

Common Mistakes

• Calling a postulate a theorem.
• Calling a convention a definition when multiple conventions coexist.
• Presenting an approximation without saying what was neglected.
• Treating numerical agreement as a proof.
• Using “it is known” instead of naming the kind of evidence.
• Letting frontier language leak into settled introductory pages.

References

• Committee on Publication Ethics, Core Practices, for broad integrity framing.
• A. Peres, Quantum Theory: Concepts and Methods, Kluwer, 1995.
• L. E. Ballentine, Quantum Mechanics: A Modern Development, 2nd ed., World Scientific, 2014.

Exercises

1. The statement “we set $\hbar=1$ on this page” should receive which label?

Solution

It is a convention. It changes notation and units, not the physics.

2. The statement “decoherence by itself solves every measurement-problem question” should be labeled how?

Solution

As written, it is overclaimed. It would need interpretive framing and should not be presented as a settled theorem or experimental result.