Methodology
Research discipline
The archive is built like a records office: every claim is traceable to a source, and every source is logged with provenance. We document what exists, what is missing, and what remains allegation.
Documentation standard
Downloaded sources are stored under research/sources/ with filenames that include year and provenance. Logs live in research/sources/sources-log.md.
Core principles
Primary first
Prefer official archives, patents, court records, contemporaneous press scans, and first-hand accounts.
Provenance required
Every download is logged with URL, access date, file type, and justification.
Evidence vs. lore
Claims without primary evidence are labeled as allegations and kept separate.
Respect copyright
No piracy. Copyrighted books and films are logged as metadata only.
Workflow
Every phase ends with written documentation so the archive stays auditable and reproducible.
- Map authoritative repositories and primary collections.
- Sweep the web for primary documents and contemporaneous records.
- Download files into the sources archive with consistent naming.
- Log each file in the sources log with provenance.
- Summarize findings in the research brief and topic files.
- Track open questions and record gaps for future work.
Evidence grading
Each page and source is tagged with evidence strength so readers can quickly see what is verified and what is still unconfirmed.
Tags used
- Primary record
- Community record
- Self-published claim
- Allegation
- Metadata only