Document & evidence organisation
How to Create an Evidence Index for Court Documents
An evidence index is a navigation tool: it identifies what items are available and how to locate them. It is useful for a mixed set of documents, emails and media, but it does not authenticate evidence or decide its legal relevance.
Practical guide
Useful index fields
Use fields that help a reviewer identify and retrieve a supplied item. A short neutral description is generally more useful than a conclusion about what the item proves.
- Reference
- Date (or date status)
- Type and description
- Source or folder
- Page range where applicable
- Attachment and relationship references
Practical guide
Make the structure traceable
Keep references stable. When an email has attachments, show the connection rather than indexing the attachment as an unrelated file. Mark incomplete metadata or uncertain dates for review.
Practical guide
What an index cannot decide
Indexing does not establish authenticity, accuracy, truth, evidential weight, legal relevance or admissibility. It helps people find and review supplied material.
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