Sourcing and Verification Standard
A source is not decoration. It should let another reader inspect how you reached the claim.
For consequential factual claims
- Prefer primary records, official documents, original datasets, direct statements, and full-context media.
- Use reputable secondary reporting when it adds verification, expertise, or context.
- Link directly to the supporting page, not a search result or a context-free screenshot.
- State when a source is partial, translated, anonymous, paywalled, archived, or unverified.
- Distinguish what the source says from what you infer from it.
- Give dates. Old evidence can be accurate and still fail to describe the present.
Screenshots and clips
Include the originating account, publication, URL, date, and enough surrounding context to inspect the excerpt. Do not crop away information that changes the meaning.
Corrections
Correct material errors clearly. Do not silently edit a claim after others have relied on it. A useful correction says what changed and why.
Uncertainty
“I do not know” is an acceptable conclusion. Confidence should track evidence, not repetition.