Editorial Governance Policy

Overview

As a decentralized yet rigorously managed knowledge platform, Aevum Encyclopedia balances open contribution with strict quality control. Our governance model is designed to prevent misinformation, manage conflicts of interest, and ensure that every article meets academic-grade standards.

This policy applies to all content published on the platform, including articles, media, data visualizations, and knowledge graph entries. It is binding on all contributors, editors, and automated systems.

Core Editorial Principles

All content on Aevum must adhere to the following foundational principles. Violations may result in content revision or contributor sanctions.

Content Review Process

Every article undergoes a multi-layered review process before publication. Aevum employs a hybrid workflow that leverages AI for initial screening and human experts for nuanced judgment.

Roles & Responsibilities

Aevum's governance relies on a tiered system of roles, each with specific privileges and obligations.

Contributors

Anyone can contribute. Responsibilities include:

• Disclosing conflicts of interest upon account creation.
• Citing all claims with reliable sources.
• Adhering to the Neutral Point of View policy.
• Responding to reviewer feedback within 30 days.

Editors & Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)

Editors and SMEs are vetted professionals with domain expertise. They are responsible for:

• Reviewing and approving/rejecting submitted content.
• Ensuring factual accuracy and proper sourcing.
• Resolving content disputes within their domain.
• Maintaining an annual recertification of expertise.

Editorial Governance Board

The Governance Board is the highest editorial authority. It consists of 11 members elected every two years from the community. The Board:

• Ratifies and amends editorial policies.
• Oversees the appointment of domain leads.
• Hears appeals from sanctioned contributors.
• Ensures platform neutrality and prevents systemic bias.

Conflict of Interest Policy

Conflicts of interest are inevitable in an open encyclopedia. Aevum does not prohibit COI editing, but mandates strict disclosure and recusal protocols.

Disclosure Requirements

Contributors must tag their user page and talk pages with the relevant COI template (e.g., {{COI-Paid}}, {{COI-Subject}}) when editing related articles.

Recusal Protocol

• Contributors with COI may submit drafts but cannot advocate for changes on talk pages.
• Editors with COI must recuse themselves from reviewing the related article.
• COI edits are automatically flagged for independent SME review.

Paid Editing

Paid editing is permitted under strict guidelines. All paid contributors must register in the Aevum Transparency Registry, providing client information and contract terms. Paid content is subject to enhanced scrutiny and must meet a higher evidentiary threshold.

Dispute Resolution

Editorial disputes are resolved through a structured escalation process to ensure fairness and efficiency.

Vandalism, harassment, or systematic policy violations bypass this process and are handled directly by the Trust & Safety team.

Transparency & Audit Logs

Aevum maintains full transparency regarding content changes. Every edit, review decision, and policy action is recorded in an immutable audit log.

Audit Log Features

• Contributor Identity: Pseudonymous but verifiable accounts.
• Edit Timestamps: Precise to the millisecond.
• Change Diff: Complete before/after comparison for every edit.
• Reviewer Notes: Justifications for approvals, rejections, and flags.
• COI Tags: Automatic linkage to disclosed conflicts.

{
  "edit_id": "ae_8f7g6h5j4k3l2m1n",
  "article": "Quantum Entanglement",
  "contributor": "User:PhysicsPhD_42",
  "timestamp": "2025-01-12T14:32:01Z",
  "action": "revision_approved",
  "reviewer": "SME:Dr_Chen",
  "reviewer_note": "Added recent Bell test results; citations verified.",
  "coi_status": "none",
  "ai_flags": ["citation_check_passed", "neutrality_score_0.92"]
}

The audit log is publicly accessible via our Open API for researchers and journalists.

Copyright & Licensing

Aevum Encyclopedia operates under a dual-licensing model to maximize accessibility while respecting creator rights.

Text Content

All textual content is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike). This permits free reuse with attribution and requires derivative works to carry the same license.

Media & Images

Media files are individually licensed. Contributors must specify licensing (CC0, CC BY, CC BY-SA, or Fair Use with justification). Unlicensed media is automatically removed by AI.

Trademark & Branding

The Aevum Encyclopedia name, logo, and domain are trademarks of Aevum Foundation. They may not be used to imply endorsement without written permission.

Contact Editorial Team

Have questions about governance, need to appeal a decision, or wish to report a policy violation? Our editorial team is here to help.

For urgent matters involving legal threats or severe safety concerns, please contact our legal department at legal@aevum.org.