Table 2.

Standardised annexure structure and content.

Section	Content
Fundamental Principles of Discipline/Method	Outlines the premises on which the discipline relies, and the empirical support that exists for the claims
Methodology	Briefly describes how the method is conducted, with reference to published texts or standards if applicable
Scale of Conclusions	Outlines the entire scale of conclusions and definitions of each conclusion if applicable
Considerations of Discipline/Method
Validity & Error Rates	Describes the validation (internal and external) status of the technique with references provided. If indicative error rates are available, they are provided with an explanation as to whether they are directly applicable to the methodology in use at VPFSD, or if there are differences in approach/considerations from the published study
Assumptions	Methodological assumptions that are common across all cases are outlined – case-specific assumptions are disclosed within the statement
Limitations	Methodological limitations that are common across all cases are outlined – case-specific limitations are disclosed within the statement
Competency	Briefly outlines the ongoing competency requirements (e.g. internal and external proficiency tests, annual recertification) for the practitioners
Quality Assurance	Discloses the standards to which the laboratory is accredited for that discipline/method
Cognitive Factors associated with Discipline/Method	Information provided regarding: -Blinding procedures in place regarding exposure to potentially biasing information -Subjectivity of method, including rates of disagreement between experts (where known)
Discipline-specific limitations (e.g. meaning of absence, ability to age deposits)	Information provided on important discipline specific considerations, such as what an absence of evidence should or not be interpreted to mean, whether the age of a deposit can be determined, the difference between source (or sub-source) and activity level opinions
Controversies relevant to Discipline/Method	Outlines the findings of the NAS and the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) reports [3,23]where relevant to the discipline and includes information about any progress made since these reports, including relevant validation or error rate studies.
Glossary	Defines and explains key terms present in the annexure or statement