documentary evidence
Written supporting records
Documentary evidence is evidence presented in the form of documents—written records, photographs, contracts, emails, or other recorded materials—as opposed to oral testimony or physical objects.
In legal contexts, documentary evidence must typically be authenticated before admission: The prosecution introduced documentary evidence showing the defendant's financial transactions.
The term emphasizes that the evidence exists in fixed, reviewable form.
- hard copyPrinted physical document
- affidavitSworn written statement
- depositionFormal testimony under oath
- exhibitItem publicly displayed
- photographImage from a camera
contract · witness statement · paper trail · written records · legal documents · subpoena · meeting minutes · black and white · chain of custody · court records · audit trail · treaty · surveillance footage · forensic · files · witness · courtroom · smoking gun
- evidenceproof, admissible, findings, inadmissible, results
- proofverification, attestation, corroboration, certification, confirmation
- trial proceedingsopening statements, closing arguments, cross-examination, objections, sustained
- Shakespeare AuthorshipFrancis Bacon, Christopher Marlowe, doubters, co-authorship
- trial evidencewitness testimony, exhibits, fingerprints, audio recordings, expert witness
- authorshipauthorship, author bio, byline, attributed, credited
documentary evidenceoral testimony
Evidence delivered by speaking
testimonial evidence · verbal testimony · witness testimony · oral evidence · eyewitness testimony
documentary evidencetestimonial evidence
Proof from oral statements
physical evidence · real evidence · circumstantial evidence · hearsay
evidence, document, documentary, documentation, evidencing, undocumented, evidenced, evidence-based, documentaries