A practical reading method
Separate a Biographer's Inference From the Record
Mark the motive claim and the page where it appears. Follow its note or citation and classify the source as first-person, contemporary witness, later account, or author inference. Rewrite your note with a certainty label and preserve alternative explanations when the record is incomplete.
Use this when a biography explains why someone acted but the source basis is not obvious. Narrative confidence can hide evidentiary gaps. Source labels show which parts are documented and which are interpretive bridges.
Use case
When this method helps
Use this when a biography explains why someone acted but the source basis is not obvious.
Narrative confidence can hide evidentiary gaps. Source labels show which parts are documented and which are interpretive bridges.
Method
Build the note
1. Mark the motive claim and the page where it appears.
2. Follow its note or citation and classify the source as first-person, contemporary witness, later account, or author inference.
3. Rewrite your note with a certainty label and preserve alternative explanations when the record is incomplete.
Example
See the boundary in practice
The biography says she feared dismissal, but the cited letter mentions only money; the motive remains the author's inference.
Quality check
Before you trust the note
The note should not sound more certain than the strongest cited source.