An evidence gap is a question the assessment asked that the material does not answer. The platform treats it as a first-class result rather than a blank.
Why this matters more than it sounds
A summarizer over an incomplete set of documents produces a confident report about an incomplete set of documents. Nothing in it tells you that the security policy you were never sent is missing. In a transaction, the document you were not given is frequently the most important thing you learn.
So a gap is recorded with:
- The question that went unanswered.
- The area it belongs to, and whether that area can still be rated.
- What was searched, so you can tell "not in the material" from "asked oddly".
- A request-list item, so the gap turns into an ask rather than a note.
What to do with one
- Check it is genuinely absent. If you believe the answer is in a document you uploaded, see When a section says there is no evidence.
- Ask for it. The item is already on the request list. Send it.
- Record the answer where it belongs. If it arrives as a document, upload it and re-run the area. If it arrives verbally, capture it as an analyst file so the answer is evidence rather than memory.
- Report it if it stays open. A question the target would not or could not answer is a finding. Say so plainly in the report, and let the reader weigh it.
Gaps and ratings
An area with unanswered questions can still be rated on what was examined. An area with no retrievable evidence at all is Not Assessed, and stays out of the overall roll-up — see Reading a review area.