Tool 08 · Culture Atlas · Record research
Culture Atlas Record Research Log
A record should not become “true” just because it has a field in a database. Use this log to move one proposed Atlas record from a question to evidence you can inspect.
This is a research workflow, not a certificate of accuracy. A completed log can still end with “hold”, “needs another source” or “we do not know yet”.
□ Place □ Language □ Community □ Tradition / practice □ Person □ Story □ Other
What question am I trying to answer?Why does this record belong in Culture Atlas?1. Separate claims before collecting sources
Avoid one large sentence containing several claims. A source may support one part and not another.
2. Attach evidence to each claim
3. Test the source, not just the citation
□ I know who produced the source and when.
□ The source actually supports the claim beside it.
□ I have distinguished direct evidence, a source's interpretation and my own inference.
□ I checked whether the claim depends on region, time, community, terminology or context.
□ I looked for credible disagreement where the question is contested.
□ I have not turned one example or one person's account into a claim about everyone.
4. Map relationships as claims
5. Keep uncertainty visible
6. Publication decision
□ Publish as currently supported
□ Publish with qualification / uncertainty visible
□ Seek another source before publishing
□ Hold — evidence is currently insufficient
Exact wording or qualification the reader should seeResearch boundary: a bibliography is not enough if sources are detached from the claims they support. Cultural knowledge may also involve living people, community perspectives, permissions, sensitive knowledge and contested accounts. Where those issues arise, use the Cultural Source & Attribution Record alongside this log.