These are the editorial standards for Kings of Virginia. Evidence labels apply to specific claims, not automatically to every statement on a page. A documented fact can still be corrected when better evidence emerges.
✓ Documented
A claim supported by identifiable source evidence, with a citation and an explanation appropriate to the claim. A record’s existence does not make every statement in it accurate.
◐ Probable
An interpretation supported by evidence but not established firmly enough to call documented. Explain the reasoning, alternatives, and missing evidence.
? Unresolved
An open question. The available evidence is insufficient to choose a conclusion. Do not fill the gap with an invented relationship or date.
⚠ Conflicting Evidence
Sources disagree in a way that affects the conclusion. Identify the conflict and explain why it has—or has not—been resolved.
Sources, corrections & AI
- Cite sources close to the claims they support. Include enough detail for another researcher to find the same item.
- Distinguish original records, copies, indexes, transcriptions, and later accounts.
- Credit photographs and illustrations and describe meaningful cropping or display changes.
- AI-generated names, documents, gravestones, quotations, dates, and images are not historical evidence.
- Use decorative artwork only as design, label it accordingly, and never cite its pictured details as evidence.
- Review AI-assisted transcriptions against the source before publication.
- Keep a dated correction note when a substantive published conclusion changes.