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Fact-checking Guide

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This document defines how factual verification is conducted within the Craftpedia ecosystem. It applies to all languages, all regional portals and all types of craft-related articles.

The aim of this guide is to ensure that Craftpedia articles maintain a high standard of historical and cultural accuracy, aligned with museum-grade documentation practices.

Purpose of This Guide

The Fact-checking Guide establishes:

  • what must be fact-checked;
  • where reliable information should be sourced from;
  • how fact-checkers introduce new information responsibly;
  • procedures for identifying and correcting inaccuracies;
  • best practices for verifying terminology, dates, origins, and cultural contexts.

Fact-checkers help ensure that Craftpedia remains a trustworthy, academically oriented digital resource.

Role of the Fact-checker

The fact-checker focuses on content accuracy, not language or style.

Their responsibilities include:

  • verifying historical facts, dates, origins, and attributions;
  • checking claims about materials, techniques, and regional variations;
  • confirming terminology against museum and academic usage;
  • identifying unsupported or ambiguous statements;
  • ensuring that references are authoritative and correctly applied.

Introducing New Information

A fact-checker may introduce new facts if the following conditions are met:

  • the information is fully supported by reliable, authoritative sources;
  • the source is clearly cited in the references section;
  • the fact-checker provides enough bibliographic detail for others to verify the source;
  • no speculative, interpretive, or unsourced content is added.

In other words: > Fact-checkers may expand and improve articles, but must base all added information on transparent, authoritative evidence.

Editors reviewing the article do not need to re-check the fact-checker’s research process; they only need to confirm:

  • that the source is clearly cited, and
  • that the source is authoritative.

What Must Be Fact-checked

Fact-checkers must verify the following categories of information:

Historical Background

  • origin dates and centuries;
  • dynasties, eras, and transitions (e.g., Edo period, Ming dynasty);
  • development of techniques over time.

Geographical Information

  • region, prefecture, province, or cultural group;
  • proper identification of regional schools or styles;
  • cross-regional influences (e.g., Korean → Japanese porcelain).

Materials and Techniques

  • raw materials and their properties;
  • accurate description of processes and methods;
  • identification of distinctive technical features.

Terminology

  • correct craft names (English + original language);
  • correct transliteration;
  • accurate naming of periods, styles, and technical terms.

Cultural Significance

  • ritual use;
  • symbolic meaning;
  • connections to festivals or ceremonies;
  • social or historical importance.

Modern Developments

  • contemporary workshops or revival movements;
  • notable modern artists;
  • museum collections.

Numerical Claims

  • dates;
  • centuries;
  • production counts (if applicable);
  • chronological ranges.

Every number must be verified.

Acceptable Sources

Fact-checkers must rely on authoritative, reputable, and academically grounded sources.

Primary Sources of High Authority

  • museum catalogues and collection descriptions;
  • publications from major museums (e.g., Tokyo National Museum, British Museum, Met Museum);
  • academic monographs and university press books;
  • archaeological reports;
  • peer-reviewed journal articles;
  • publications from cultural heritage institutions (e.g., UNESCO, Agency for Cultural Affairs Japan).

Acceptable Online Sources

  • official museum websites;
  • university-hosted resources (.edu, .ac domains);
  • digitized academic repositories.

Sources Requiring Caution

  • artisan websites;
  • auction houses;
  • commercial and tourist sites;
  • general-interest blogs.

These may offer context but are not authoritative for historical or technical facts.

Unacceptable Sources

  • Wikipedia (use only for orientation, never as a citation);
  • AI-generated content;
  • personal blogs;
  • unsourced claims from random websites.

How to Check a Fact

Fact-checkers should use the following process:

  1. Identify the statement that requires verification.
  2. Consult one or more authoritative sources.
  3. Compare terminology and phrasing across sources.
  4. Ensure the meaning is correctly represented in the article.
  5. Insert or update citations accordingly.
  6. Document major corrections in the edit summary or talk page.

If sources conflict:

  • prefer academic or museum sources;
  • explain the conflict in neutral terms if necessary.

Handling Disputed or Uncertain Information

Some crafts have ambiguous origins, contested dates, or multiple scholarly interpretations.

In such cases:

  • present the most widely accepted interpretation;
  • mention alternative interpretations when academically recognized;
  • use cautious phrasing (e.g., “some sources suggest,” “scholars disagree,” “it is believed that”).

Example:

Some researchers attribute the origin of this technique to the early 17th century, while others suggest a late 16th-century development.

Fact-checking Translated Articles

When reviewing translations, fact-checkers must ensure:

  • no new unsourced claims were introduced;
  • technical terms remain accurate;
  • cultural and historical details match the original;
  • the translation does not distort the meaning of the source article;
  • transliterations remain correct.

Common issues in translations:

  • mistranslated period names;
  • incorrect geographic terminology;
  • oversimplified technical descriptions;
  • loss of precision.

What to Do When an Error Is Found

If an error is identified:

  • correct the factual statement;
  • supply a proper citation;
  • add an explanatory note if needed;
  • record major corrections in the edit summary;
  • notify translators if other languages must be updated.

Fact-checkers should avoid rewriting large sections without coordination, unless the content is demonstrably incorrect.

Citations and References

Every article must:

  • cite authoritative sources for major facts;
  • include full bibliographic information;
  • ensure that citations correspond directly to claims in the text.

Fact-checkers must confirm:

  • the reference is authoritative;
  • the reference actually supports the claim;
  • the citation is properly formatted.

Version Control and Coordination

Fact-checkers should:

  • monitor significant updates to articles;
  • ensure consistency across related articles;
  • communicate terminology issues to translators and editors;
  • review changes that affect multiple language versions.

Large updates (e.g., new archaeological evidence or reclassification of a craft) should be documented on the talk page.

Common Pitfalls

Fact-checkers must avoid:

  • relying on Wikipedia instead of its sources;
  • treating popular websites as authoritative;
  • using outdated or superseded terminology;
  • assuming information from one craft applies to another;
  • ignoring contradictions in sources;
  • accepting simplified descriptions from non-scholarly sources.

When Fact-checking Is Complete

A fact-checker may consider an article complete when:

  • all major claims are verified;
  • terminology matches authoritative usage;
  • references are present and reliable;
  • any disputed facts are properly documented;
  • no unsupported or ambiguous statements remain.

Version History

  • 1.1 – Clarified fact-checker responsibilities and added transparent sourcing requirements
  • 1.0 – Initial release (English)