Archive 001 — Documentary Method

Archive 001 follows a documentary-first method.

1. Preserve originals. Source files are not overwritten merely to make the archive cleaner.
2. Identify canonical copies. Filed or stamped versions are preferred when available.
3. Detect duplicates. Byte-identical files are treated as duplicates rather than independent corroboration.
4. Separate record from interpretation. Descriptions state what a document says or establishes without silently converting allegations into facts.
5. Preserve provenance. Each chronology entry should point back to a canonical source or an explicit project-source reference.
6. Separate private and public layers. Publication copies require a separate review for privacy, redaction, accuracy, and context.
7. Update chronologically. Later events do not rewrite what was known or documented at an earlier date.

Continue

See the Source Types → used throughout the archive, return to the Document Index →, or read How to Read Archive 001 →.