Evidence is any support; confirmed evidence is verified
"Evidence" is any information that supports or counts against a claim, whatever its quality. "Confirmed evidence" is evidence that has been checked and verified, for example by independent replication, authentication or corroboration.
Answered from what it already knows
Read full answer
In everyday use, evidence is anything that bears on whether a claim is true. That includes anecdotes, rumours, preliminary data, documents and measurements, and it may turn out to be unreliable. Calling evidence "confirmed" adds that it has passed some check, such as independent replication, cross-checking against other sources, or verification of authenticity. The phrase is informal, so the standard of confirmation varies by field and speaker. Confirmed evidence is more trustworthy, but it still doesn't settle a question on its own. Confirmation also doesn't tell you how much the evidence matters for a given conclusion.
- Evidence can be strong or weak, direct or circumstantial, and accurate or mistaken.
- "Confirmed" means the evidence has been checked, for example by independent sources, repeat tests or authentication.
- Confirmed evidence is not the same as proof. It can still be incomplete or open to interpretation.
- "Confirmed evidence" is not a formal technical term in science or law. Its meaning depends on context.
- In law, evidence must usually be authenticated and admitted before a court treats it as reliable.