Sourcing Philosophy
At Aevum Encyclopedia, every assertion is only as strong as its evidence. Our sourcing philosophy is built on three pillars: verifiability, provenance, and accessibility. We prioritize primary sources, peer-reviewed research, and authoritative institutional publications over secondary summaries or opinion-based content.
"If it cannot be independently verified through a stable, citable source, it does not belong in an Aevum entry. Exceptions are only made for widely accepted historical consensus, clearly labeled as such."
All contributors and editorial staff must adhere to our Editorial Handbook, which outlines acceptable source types, weighting hierarchies, and conflict-of-interest disclosures.
Citation Standards
Aevum employs a unified digital citation format that adapts to disciplinary norms while ensuring machine-readability and human clarity. Our system maps to major academic standards but presents them in a consistent, accessible interface.
| Discipline | Primary Standard | Aevum Mapping |
|---|---|---|
| Humanities | Chicago / MLA | Author, Year, Title, Publisher, DOI/URL |
| Sciences | APA / Vancouver | Authors, Year, Journal, Vol(Issue), Pages, PMID/DOI |
| Law & Policy | Bluebook / OSCOLA | Case/Legislation, Court/Body, Date, Pinpoint, Link |
| History / Archives | Chicago Notes | Archive, Collection, Box/Folder, Document ID, Accession # |
Each citation in our platform includes a persistent identifier (DOI, PMID, ISBN, or stable archive link), publication date, access date, and a verification badge indicating review status.
Verification Process
Every citation undergoes a multi-stage verification pipeline before being attached to an entry:
- Automated Validation: Our AI checks for link rot, DOI resolution, publisher legitimacy, and basic metadata consistency.
- Contextual Review: Subject-matter experts verify that the source actually supports the claim and is used without cherry-picking or misrepresentation.
- Weight Assessment: Sources are tagged by reliability tier (Tier 1: Peer-reviewed/Primary, Tier 2: Reputable Institutions, Tier 3: Secondary/Analytical).
- Version Locking: Once approved, citations are archived via Wayback Machine or institutional repositories to preserve snapshot accuracy.
Entries with controversial or evolving claims require at least two Tier 1 sources or a clearly cited scholarly debate summary.
AI & Human Oversight
Artificial intelligence plays a supportive, never deterministic, role in our sourcing workflow. AI models assist with:
- Discovering relevant literature across academic databases
- Formatting citations according to disciplinary standards
- Flagging potential conflicts of interest or paywalled sources
- Generating draft bibliographies for contributor review
AI-generated citations are never published without human verification. Hallucinated references, broken links, or misattributed authors are automatically quarantined. Our platform explicitly labels AI-assisted vs. fully human-reviewed citations for full transparency.
All AI tools used in sourcing are open-audit, version-tracked, and comply with academic integrity guidelines from the ITHAKA JSTOR Trust.
Transparency & Audits
Knowledge loses value when its foundations are opaque. Aevum maintains full transparency through:
- Public Source Logs: Every entry includes a machine-readable citation export (JSON/Citation Style Language).
- Revision History: Track how sources were added, replaced, or removed across article versions.
- Annual Integrity Reports: Published metrics on citation accuracy, link decay rates, and expert review turnaround times.
- Open Dispute Resolution: Researchers can formally challenge citations via our academic review portal.
We believe that verifiable knowledge is living knowledge. Our audit trails are designed to withstand peer scrutiny and support reproducible research.
How to Contribute Sources
Whether you're a researcher, educator, or independent scholar, you can help strengthen Aevum's citation ecosystem:
- Submit via Article Edit Flow: Add citations directly through our structured editor, which auto-validates formats.
- Upload Bibliographies: Export from Zotero, Mendeley, or BibTeX and import via our bulk citation tool.
- Report Missing/Incorrect Sources: Use the "Flag Citation" button on any entry to trigger expert review.
- Join the Editorial Board: Apply to become a verified source reviewer in your discipline.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I cite preprint servers like arXiv or bioRxiv?
Yes, but they are classified as Tier 2 until peer-reviewed. They must be clearly labeled as preprints, and we encourage contributors to update entries once the final publication is available.
What happens when a cited source becomes unavailable?
Our system automatically archives accessible content via the Internet Archive. If a source is permanently lost, the citation is flagged, replaced with an equivalent Tier 1 source, or the claim is re-evaluated by editors.
How do I handle citations for oral histories or indigenous knowledge?
We follow the CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance and the OAPEN oral history citation standard. These sources require informed consent documentation and are tagged with cultural sensitivity markers. Our editorial team works directly with communities to ensure respectful and accurate attribution.
Is Aevum's citation format compatible with academic writing tools?
Yes. All citations export to CSL JSON, BibTeX, and RIS formats. We integrate directly with Zotero, Mendeley, EndNote, and Overleaf through open APIs.