Research and Editorial Principles

This page explains the intent and philosophy behind the data model and editorial workflow.

It is written for contributors and researchers rather than technical implementers.

The goal is to clarify not only how the system works, but why it is structured this way.

Why this system exists

The project is not a simple media archive.

It is a research environment.

We are not merely storing files. We are building structured historical knowledge.

The system is designed to:

document sources
make interpretations explicit
connect evidence to subjects
support scholarly referencing
enable publication of reliable public content

Every page created contributes to this knowledge structure.

From files to knowledge

The model separates three layers:

Files → storage
DigitalAssets → interpretation and sources
Research entities → historical meaning

Flow:

File → DigitalAsset → HeritageObject / Person / Organization → Public narrative

This means:

Files alone have no meaning. Meaning is created by researchers.

What contributors are really doing

When filling in forms, contributors are not performing secretarial work.

They are:

documenting sources
recording evidence
making historical claims traceable
preparing material for publication
building a reusable research base

Each correctly created page may later support:

public articles
exhibitions
educational material
Wikipedia contributions
future research

Structured data today becomes knowledge tomorrow.

DigitalAssets as sources

DigitalAssets are the foundation of scholarly reliability.

Each DigitalAsset represents:

exactly one file
one interpretable source

Examples:

a scanned document
a newspaper article
a photograph
a letter
an archival record

DigitalAssets:

describe the source
record provenance
store citation information
link to the subjects they document

Public pages should cite DigitalAssets as evidence.

In this way, every statement can be traced back to a source.

HeritageObjects, Persons, and Organizations as subjects

These entities represent what the research is about.

They are not storage containers.

They are conceptual anchors:

What happened?
Where?
Who was involved?

DigitalAssets provide evidence about these subjects.

This separation keeps interpretation clear and avoids mixing sources with conclusions.

ResearchChapters as interpretation

ResearchChapters structure the narrative.

They answer:

"How do we tell the story?"

Chapters are interpretative tools, not historical facts themselves.

They help organize material for presentation and publication.

Publication is the goal

The system is designed with publication in mind.

Public pages:

select appropriate illustrations
cite DigitalAssets as sources
present verified information

Not all uploaded material is public.

Some files remain internal research material.

This separation allows:

quality control
legal clarity
scholarly rigor

Working with uncertainty

Historical knowledge is often incomplete.

The system does not use artificial certainty levels.

Instead:

be honest about limits
use date ranges
explain doubts in notes
cite sources

Transparency is more valuable than false precision.

Editorial mindset

Contributors should aim to:

✓ document sources carefully ✓ describe clearly ✓ cite evidence ✓ avoid assumptions ✓ make reasoning explicit

Avoid:

✗ uploading files without context ✗ adding claims without sources ✗ inventing precision ✗ treating forms as mere bureaucracy

Every field has meaning. Every entry should serve future understanding.

Long-term perspective

The project is intended to last.

Data entered today should remain understandable years from now.

Therefore:

structure is preferred over improvisation
clarity over speed
explanation over shorthand
sources over assertions

Well-structured information can always be reused. Unstructured information is quickly lost.

Summary

We are not building a file repository.

We are building a documented, evidence-based history.

Files store. DigitalAssets explain. Entities give meaning. Chapters tell the story.

Contributors are researchers, not clerks.

The quality of the system depends on the care taken at entry time.

Status

These principles accompany the conceptual model – Version 3.2.

All contributors are encouraged to understand and follow them.