Behind the reading room
Editorial policy.
Our editorial rules for evidence, identity, historical geography, review and corrections.
Evidence before volume
A commissioned title is a research question, not an article. Only a record with original body text, inspected references, resolving claim citations and completed applicable release checks enters the reader edition.
References should identify a relevant page, section, table, record or object. A general archive homepage is not sufficient support for a precise historical claim. A primary source can be partial or mistaken; its date and purpose still require interpretation.
Identity and historical geography
We distinguish birthplace, residence, language, ancestry, religion and self-identification. Names and locations do not automatically assign an identity. Related languages and communities are not absorbed into another category without context.
A dated historical jurisdiction is not a present territorial claim. Map pins identify their kind of location and scope. Unsourced historical borders are omitted.
Review has a name
AI-assisted source checking is recorded separately from human or specialist review. We do not invent expert approval. Human review has been waived for this production programme. Native-language examples still require inspected source records, and sensitive subjects require careful attribution and recorded uncertainty.
Changes and corrections
Substantive corrections should identify the affected record, evidence, decision and actual revision date. Recorded changes and affected entries are listed in the correction log. A source check remains open to revision when better evidence becomes available.