Verification vs membership vs credential

A membership is a participation relationship with a program or organization, governed by that program’s criteria, decision and effective dates.

A credential is an issued record attesting to a defined achievement, authorization or status within the scope of the issuing program. Its meaning should be stated precisely.

Verification is the mechanism for checking a supported public fact about an eligible record. It does not create the membership or credential; it reports the status of the underlying record.

A verification page should never expand a narrow program status into broader professional licensure, employment, partnership or regulatory authority unless those additional facts are independently established.