Glossary · Meaning and specification
Criterion card
2InstrumentThe atomic specification for one criterion: facet, operational definition, allowed evidence, positive and negative exemplars, boundary and abstention rules, severity (fatal, tradeable, advisory, or escalate), mechanism, blind spots, owner, and version.
Defined in
Handbook · InstrumentRubrics and criterion cardsA rubric is an intermediate representation, not a weak verifier. Compile tacit expertise into cards that send each criterion to its strongest mechanism.Related terms
- Rubric
- A structured, human-readable specification with criteria, allowed evidence, exemplar anchors or scales, and gate or aggregation semantics. A rubric is a specification, not a hierarchy rung.
- Abstention region
- Where a criterion's evaluator should answer "cannot determine" or route the item to a person instead of forcing a verdict, for example when sources conflict or the case is out of domain. Forced verdicts turn uncertainty into false confidence.
- Exemplar anchors
- Positive and negative examples, adversarial near-misses, and scale points attached to a criterion card to fix its boundary. Not the reference anchor A, the anchor channel, or the linking items kept across suite versions.
Where it comes up
- Specification: what counts as successHandbook · Instrument
- Anchors and evidence viewsHandbook · Instrument
- LLM judges in practiceHandbook · Instrument
- Aggregation geometryHandbook · Instrument
- The judge as a noisy sensorHandbook · Validation
- Evaluating agentsHandbook · Agents and self-improvement
- The One SpineHandbook · Practice
- Inverse evaluation designHandbook · Practice
- G: Documentation agentHandbook · Case studies