Editorial Standards
This is how we handle sources, disputed evidence, quotations, images, AI-assisted work, corrections, and commercial relationships.
Last reviewed: August 23, 2026
Sources
We start as close to the event as the surviving record allows: official records, archival collections, contemporary reporting, letters, maps, technical documents, photographs, and museum collections. Scholarship helps us interpret that record; when the underlying evidence is available, we try to check it directly.
Disputed or incomplete records
When reliable records disagree in a way that changes the story, the disagreement stays visible. We separate documented fact from inference and identify uncertainty instead of quietly choosing the neatest version.
Quotations, dates, and numbers
Quotations are checked against the best available version of the source. Consequential or disputed dates, measurements, casualty figures, and technical numbers are compared across records. Estimates remain estimates; we do not turn them into exact counts for a cleaner sentence.
Images and reconstructions
Where documentary material can be sourced responsibly, we prefer it to reconstruction. Captions explain what a reader is seeing, while provenance and rights notes identify where the material came from. Reconstructions and AI-created visuals are identified so they are not mistaken for documentary evidence.
AI-assisted production
AI tools may help organize research, compare material, format production files, or develop visual concepts. They are not treated as historical sources. Claims, quotations, dates, image provenance, and major interpretations are checked against the underlying evidence before publication.
Corrections
Typos and formatting fixes usually do not need a correction note. If a factual change affects how a reader understands the event, evidence, or conclusion, we add a dated correction note.
To report a possible error, use Corrections & Contact and include the page URL, the exact passage or credit at issue, and a supporting source if you have one.
Commercial relationships
Advertising, affiliate relationships, products, and other commercial opportunities do not determine historical conclusions. Financial relationships are disclosed where they exist. See the Affiliate Disclosure for details.