Research data

Source material is collected, assessed and retained in proportion to the assignment.

Aperture distinguishes client-supplied material, public sources, working records and final deliverables so that the evidence trail remains reviewable.

Source discipline

The work prioritises traceability, relevance and source quality rather than volume alone.

Primary sources are preferred where reasonably obtainable.
Repetition is not treated as independent corroboration.
Material contradictions and source dependencies are recorded.
Evidence cut-off dates and limitations are disclosed where relevant.

Illustrative situation

The company on the proposal and the company in the register

You have a proposal from a business you have not used before. The trading name on its website differs from the legal name on the contract.

Which entity would we actually contract with, and which claims belong to that entity?

What we would examine: Compare the entity identifiers, dated corporate records and supplied documents. Attribute group and subsidiary claims to the entity they actually describe.
What you could receive: A company identity brief with an entity map, source references and unresolved attribution questions.

How a finding could read, if the evidence supported it

The trading name can be connected to the contracting entity. The parent company’s operating history does not, by itself, establish the subsidiary’s history.

Why this helps: Your team can see what it knows about the actual counterparty before relying on a familiar name.

This is an illustration, not a completed client assignment or a finding about a real organisation. The actual evidence determines the result.

Client-supplied material

The client remains responsible for providing material lawfully and for identifying known restrictions, privilege concerns or confidentiality requirements.

Retention and deletion

Retention periods and deletion arrangements may vary according to the engagement, legal requirements, security considerations and the need to preserve a defensible project record. Assignment-specific terms control where agreed.