Corrections policy

The Encyclopedia corrects material errors openly and preserves a usable record of change. Accuracy takes priority over defending prior wording.

Submitting a correction

Corrections are submitted through the website's private editorial review form. Submissions enter the same moderated queue as entry improvements and new-entry proposals. Nothing is published automatically, and contact details are not displayed publicly.

A useful submission includes:

• the entry title and permanent URL;
• the disputed sentence or omission;
• the proposed correction;
• a primary source or strong secondary source;
• the submitter's name and any relevant interest or affiliation;
• whether the submitter may be named in the correction record.

Anonymous submissions may be considered when the evidence can be verified against reliable sources.

Correction classes

Class 1: presentational

Spelling, formatting, broken links, and other changes that do not alter meaning. These may be corrected without an entry-level notice, but remain visible in the repository history.

Class 2: factual or interpretive

Changes to a date, name, quantity, quotation, source, definition, or interpretation that alter meaning. The entry receives a dated correction note and patch version increment.

Class 3: material

Changes that affect the entry's central conclusion, a person's reputation, legal status, attribution, or the integrity of a framework. The entry receives a prominent correction notice, a minor or major version increment, and a record in the public correction log.

Class 4: withdrawal

An entry is withdrawn when its core cannot be verified, publication creates unacceptable legal or ethical risk, or the entry substantially reproduces material without permission. The permanent URL remains and explains the withdrawal without repeating harmful or unsupported material.

Assessment process

1. Log the submission and preserve the cited version.
2. Classify urgency, evidence strength, and legal or reputational risk.
3. Check the strongest available source, not merely the source supplied by the submitter.
4. Seek specialist or legal review where the issue exceeds ordinary editorial judgement.
5. Correct, qualify, reject, or withdraw the material.
6. Notify a named submitter when a decision is recorded, if contact details were provided.
7. Publish the reason for any material correction without disclosing confidential personal information.

Right of reply

A living person or institution that is the subject of a materially adverse claim may submit a concise response and supporting evidence. The Founding Editor decides whether the response corrects the record, supplies necessary context, or should be linked as a documented disagreement. A right of reply does not create a right to remove accurate, relevant, and lawfully published material.

No silent substantive edits

Material changes may not be disguised as routine maintenance. Each public entry must expose its last reviewed date, version, and material correction history.