HCDI Certified Indexer
Chapter 3. Dating evidence, and what metadata can and cannot tell you
Source note
Source basis - S2, physical PDF page 7.
general professional knowledge; HCDI platform rule (Units 2.3 and 2.10). The platform asks for the date a document speaks from. That is the period the document describes or the date it was made, and it is not the date you received it. An organisation chart "as at March" and uploaded in June speaks from March. A file also carries metadata, such as a creation or modification date. Metadata can be informative, and it can mislead: files are copied, reformatted and re-saved. Treat metadata as a lead to ask about, and never as proof of when a document was made. Note too that the platform reads only the description typed at upload and Adaptive Digital Inquiry answers for instruction-shaped text. A file's own contents are not read for it, so the platform will not catch a problem inside a file for you. Common Error. Entering the upload date as the date the document speaks from.
Different dates refer to different events
Basis - general professional knowledge and editorial explanation. External references are identified explicitly; this section adds no HCDI rule.
Distinguish the period described, content creation, file modification and receipt. Copying and export can change metadata. An unusual timestamp invites a question rather than proving fabrication. NIST SP 800-86 supplies external technical context on digital evidence, not an HCDI procedure or authority to conduct a forensic investigation. [R6]
Figure 2.3 Different dates refer to different events. Original conceptual illustration; arrows organise the discussion and do not establish a validated causal effect or a scoring procedure.
Original exercise L2 E03
Basis - original fictional exercise. The organisation, events and any numbers are invented for learning. No HCDI result is assigned.
A chart says as at February, arrives in May and carries an April file-created property.
| Analytical task | Learner response required |
| Observation | Identify what the stated record directly establishes. |
| Inference | State the interpretation that still needs support. |
| Alternative | Identify a plausible alternative or missing context. |
| Authority | Identify the relevant credential or role boundary. |
Question - Which date describes the chart content?
Worked answer: Part G, exercise L2 E03.