Glossary · Validity and evidence
Verification, validation, evaluation, testing
Verification gives guarantees against a formal specification; validation asks whether a system behaves as desired in the real world; evaluation is the concrete act of measurement; testing evaluates a system on a discrete set of cases.
Defined in
Handbook · FoundationsEvaluation is measurementA score is an observation, not a capability. Follow the instrument chain from construct to decision and the four places error gets in.Related terms
- Verifier
- Strictly, an evaluator with a soundness guarantee relative to a formal specification. In loose usage it often means a deterministic or execution checker.
- Validity
- The strength of evidence and theory supporting a particular interpretation and use of scores. Not a permanent property of a benchmark: validity is a claim, not a sticker.