SourceFrameTEMPLATE
Recommendation Brief Template with Risks and Evidence Gaps
A recommendation is a decision someone has to trust. This is the structure SourceFrame uses for a Recommendation Brief — context, the call, alternatives, risks, tradeoffs, evidence gaps, and next steps — so the point of view is backed by sources, not asserted.
What goes in a recommendation brief
A clear call, plus everything a reader needs to challenge it.
A recommendation that only states the answer invites a re-litigation of the whole question. Showing the alternatives you rejected, the risks you weighed, and the evidence you are missing is what makes a recommendation land — and lets a reader disagree productively.
1. Context
The decision being made and why it matters now — the frame the recommendation answers.
2. Recommendation
The call, stated plainly up front, with the core reason it wins.
3. Alternatives
The options considered and set aside, and what would make each the better choice.
4. Risks & tradeoffs
What you give up by choosing this, and the failure modes worth watching.
5. Evidence gaps
What the sources do not settle — the assumptions the recommendation rests on.
6. Next steps
The concrete actions that follow if the recommendation is accepted.
How to use the template
Lead with the call — put the recommendation and its main reason first, then support it.
Show your work — the alternatives and risks are what turn an opinion into a decision others can trust.
Cite the evidence — tie each reason back to a source so the recommendation can be checked.
Be explicit about gaps — name the assumptions the sources do not cover, and what would change the call.
Generate one from your own sources
SourceFrame produces a Recommendation Brief in this shape from a source set — often the same sources behind a Summary or Comparison Brief, promoted into a decision. Start from a prompt, your captured tabs, or an AI chat.
Because the brief stays grounded in those sources, the recommendation, its risks, and its evidence gaps all point back to something you can inspect — so the decision is defensible when someone pushes on it.
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