Methodology

What this methodology provides

This page sets out what is assessed, what is verified, what evidence is available, and what limitations apply to a Listrar record — so a reader can judge how much weight a given piece of information deserves, rather than treating every statement on a record as equally certain.

Three distinct dimensions

A Listrar record separates three questions that are often, elsewhere, run together.

These dimensions are reported separately and do not imply one another. A record can be current in the registry, carry self-declared data, and have no regulatory assessment recorded — that combination is an ordinary state, not a contradiction.

Verification

Listrar distinguishes between information that has simply been declared and information supported by evidence or verification.

Unverified

No supporting evidence has been reviewed for this information.

Self-declared

Information provided by the responsible party without independent supporting verification.

Document-backed

Information supported by documentary evidence made available for review.

Verified

Information that has undergone a defined verification process against the applicable evidence requirements.

Independently verified

Information reviewed by an independent qualified party, where applicable.

Where a record summarizes several claims, the summary reflects the least-substantiated one among them — a single verified figure does not stand in for a page of self-declarations.

Evidence and provenance

Reliable compliance information depends not only on the information itself, but on understanding where it comes from and what supports it.

• Clearer provenance for every claim on a record
• Easier review of the evidence behind a statement
• Greater transparency about who declared what
• Easier preparation for an audit or due-diligence request
• Better overall information quality
• More confidence when consuming product data downstream

Regulatory context

Listrar connects product information with the regulatory requirements that have been identified as potentially applicable, so users can understand which requirements may apply to a product and why — rather than having to interpret fragmented regulatory information manually.

What an assessment status means

Not assessed

No assessment has been run for this record.

Assessment pending

Applicability is known but an assessment has not yet been made.

Partially assessed

An assessment has run but did not cover every applicable requirement.

Evidence incomplete

An assessment covered the applicable requirements, but supporting evidence gaps remain.

Assessment available

An assessment exists and can be read. This does not by itself mean the product is lawful.

Traceability over time

Product compliance information can evolve as products, evidence and regulatory requirements change. Listrar is designed to preserve visibility into the evolution of published records.

• Understand what changed on a record
• Identify when information changed
• Support audits with a documented history
• Improve accountability for every update
• Maintain historical context rather than overwriting it

Record integrity

Listrar applies integrity controls designed to make material alterations to published information detectable, and to support independent verification of a record's integrity without requiring anything from Listrar beyond the published record itself.

Designed for transparency

A reader should be able to distinguish declared information from supported information, verified information from a regulatory assessment, and current information from historical information. The goal is to prevent any single piece of information from being read as more certain than it is.

Provenance

Users should be able to understand the origin of relevant information.

Evidence

Important claims should be associated with supporting information where available.

Verification

Verification status should be explicit, not implied.

Traceability

Material changes should remain traceable over time.

Transparency

The basis and limitations of an assessment should be understandable.

Independence

Verification should remain distinguishable from self-declaration.

Separation of status

Registry status, verification status and regulatory assessment should not be conflated.

Why this methodology matters

What Listrar is — and is not

For a fuller statement of what a Listrar record does and does not establish, see What Listrar is not.

Limitations and responsibility

The information on a Listrar record is provided by the economic operator responsible for the product; Listrar does not independently verify every statement for accuracy. Listrar can suspend or revoke a record in its own registry, and a suspended or revoked record carries a stated reason — but it cannot correct a declaration on an operator's behalf, and it does not issue certifications or conformity assessments. Where a binding answer is required, it belongs with the body that can give one: a notified body for a conformity assessment, the competent authority for a market-surveillance question, or the relevant official registry for registration status.

A methodology built to be checked, not taken on faith

Listrar is designed to make product compliance information more structured, more traceable and easier to evaluate — for manufacturers, importers, distributors, auditors, and the platforms and systems that increasingly read product data directly. What a record shows, and what it does not, is something a reader can verify for themselves.