Audio or video evidence
Original research draft · October 2026
Working pattern
[Exhibit/recording identifier], at [hh:mm:ss–hh:mm:ss] ([version/date]).
Capture from the source
Recording; exhibit; duration; version; timestamp; transcript relation
Check before you use it
Play the identified segment in the exact recording supplied to the reader.
Common error: Edited clips and full recordings usually have different time coordinates.
Completed example
Recording, exhibit, timing, synchronization note, transcript, and exchange are fictional. The example makes no actual authentication, admissibility, or event-timing determination.
Ex. 22, Full Inspection Recording, at 00:17:42–00:18:09 (Apr. 18, 2025 version) [TRAIN-D57].
Read the supplied source facts
Fictional packet TRAIN-D57 supplies Exhibit 22, a full 48-minute inspection recording dated April 18, 2025. The relevant exchange runs from elapsed time 00:17:42 to 00:18:09. A separately edited three-minute clip begins with that exchange at 00:00:20 and omits an earlier question. The video's displayed wall clock is eleven minutes fast according to the packet's synchronization note. The assignment asks for a citation to the full recording supplied to the reader. An unverified transcript gives slightly different wording for the last sentence of the exchange.
Why this works
The exhibit and version identify the file, and the timestamp range uses elapsed playback time in that file. The clip's coordinates and the displayed wall clock are separate systems. Play the full segment and enough surrounding material to confirm the speaker, question, and qualifications before quoting it. The synchronization note matters if the argument concerns real-world timing, but it does not require replacing the file's elapsed-time locator. If quoting the words heard in the recording, check them against the audio rather than treating the unverified transcript as a definitive substitute. Preserve the exact file and its duration in the source record.
When the facts change
If the clip is the actual exhibit delivered, cite its own identifier and timestamps and explain any omission material to the discussion. If the transcript is separately admitted or assigned a record identifier, cite it accurately for its text while keeping the recording reference for comparison. A time range copied from a different edit can be wrong even when both files bear the same event title.
Apply the receiving court or publication’s requirements. These working forms do not establish citation permission, precedential weight, or support for a legal proposition.