The gap is part of the picture
A patchwork with an empty cutout is still a complete picture of what you know — because the empty space shows what you do not. The cutout is information too.
When to leave the cutout empty
- A piece is missing — it is simply not there.
- Two pieces conflict — they disagree and neither is settled.
- The page changed — what you saw earlier is no longer what is shown.
- The source is unclear — you cannot say where the clue came from.
Do not fill the gap
The correct move is to leave the cutout empty and mark it as missing. Do not fill it with a guess, do not copy a neighboring piece, and do not let a similar-looking piece stand in for the real one. A made-up piece is worse than an empty space.
A gap left visible is safer than a gap quietly filled.
A worked reading
- Check each piece — source, option, condition.
- Any missing, conflict, change, or unclear source → mark the missing patch.
- Leave the cutout empty and stop the inference.
- Re-check at the source before filling it with anything.
Assembly example — not a product set, recommendation, verification, or saved record.
?Open item: has a gap been filled with a guess, a look-alike, or a stale value?
Continue your review
Return to the four pieces in the evidence patch guide, and read options with conditions in the option and condition guide.