Evidence and citations
Evidence is a record in the case that you can open and check. A citation is the footnote that takes you to it. Mona and its subagents cite evidence for every figure they write, so you can see what each one rests on.
What counts as evidence
- A document page: one or more pages of a document in the case.
- What was read from a document: a value, with the page it came from.
- Transactions: one or more transactions, or an account's balance at the start or end of a period.
- What your client said: a questionnaire answer, a line of a transcript, or a paragraph of your note, from a source you've confirmed.
- The case and its statements: a detail of the case, a value or total filed on a statement, or a value Trace recorded.
- An outside capture: a property's Redfin page, saved with the estimate it showed.
- A calculation: a figure built from the sources above, with its formula and inputs shown so anyone can reproduce it.
A citation points at the exact version of the source Mona used, and a newer version doesn't move it.
Opening a citation
Hover over a footnote number to see its source and the value it holds. Click the number to keep the card open. When the source has a page in the app, the card links to it, and a document opens at the page cited.
In a chat, each reply numbers its own footnotes and lists its own Sources. A memo or a work product numbers them across the document and lists its Sources at the end.
What each label means
Each figure Mona or a subagent writes carries one label:
| Label | What it means |
|---|---|
| Verified | A document in the case establishes it at its date. |
| Computed | Arithmetic on verified figures. |
| Estimate | A value placed without a document that establishes it, from the best evidence in the case. |
| Declared | What a party's sworn statement says. |
| Client-stated | What the client told the firm. |
- An Estimate shows its limits: its basis, a range where the source gives one or the sources disagree, and the valuation needed before relying on it, such as an appraisal for real estate or a marine survey for a boat.
- A figure takes the label of what it's built on: a figure computed from an Estimate, a declared figure, or a client-stated one carries that label and names the input, as in "computed on an Estimate of the house value."
- A party's own value is never an Estimate's basis: it stays declared or client-stated, shown beside the Estimate.
- An Estimate never confirms or contradicts a declared figure: Mona states the difference and its size.
Trace's results apply as it writes them, so a line can read Verified before you've looked at it. Read the evidence before you rely on it.
Evidence on a statement line
Each field of a line needs its own evidence. A document that shows an account exists doesn't prove its balance. Click a line's status in Net worth analysis, then open a field's evidence line:
- Supporting: the evidence the value rests on.
- Conflicting: evidence that disagrees. It sends the field to Cannot verify.
- Excluded: evidence Trace considered and set aside, with its reason. It stays visible and doesn't count toward the result.
When a source changes
- A memo: the source says changed since this was written.
- A work product: its Checks panel lists the source that changed.
- A statement line: the source reads stale, or unresolvable if it can no longer be found, and the field reads Cannot verify until Trace looks again.
Legal authorities
Cases, statutes, and rules are checked separately from evidence. A work product lists its Authorities, and one Mona didn't take from its legal reference waits in the Checks panel until you confirm it or take it out.
What stays with you
A citation shows where a figure came from. Whether the evidence is enough for what you need it to prove is your call.