Editorial policy

What we publish

Each page answers a question a reader is likely to have, in plain English, with the answer near the top. A page is kept short if the answer is short. We do not add length for its own sake, and we do not publish a second page for a question another page already answers.

Sources

Claims that a reader could dispute are tied to source records. Where the claim allows, we prefer official registries, archives, museums and libraries, then academic and specialist books, historical societies and clan organisations, then good secondary sources. Commercial sites are used only when nothing better exists, and are marked as such. Repetition across commercial or anonymous sites does not make a claim stronger. We do not copy or paraphrase retailer or competitor descriptions as a source of history. Each page lists its sources with an evidence level. See the evidence levels.

What we do not invent

We do not invent authors, reviewers, credentials, ancestry, visits, product tests, testimonials, quotes or measurements. If a person did not review a page, no reviewer is listed. If something is not known, such as the age of a tartan or the origin of a surname, the page says it is not established and leaves the field empty. We do not assume a surname equals a clan or a clan equals a tartan; each association is its own claim with its own source and confidence.

Language of uncertainty

We say "commonly associated with" when evidence supports an association but not exclusivity, "registry records identify" for documented registry facts, and "sources disagree" when they do, naming which. We keep legal restriction, organisational permission, clan etiquette and modern practice apart, and we do not describe custom as law.

Respect

We do not suggest that all Scots wear kilts, belong to a clan or have a family tartan. Images avoid souvenir and costume clichés. Where an image is illustrative or computer-generated and not documentation, it is labelled as such. Tartan swatches are drawn from sourced thread counts, not invented, and are not presented as exact fabric appearance.

How pages are produced

Pages are researched from published sources, drafted, checked against those sources, edited for language and checked again by automated tests for duplicate text, missing sources and filler phrases. AI tools may be used to organise research and to draft and edit text. People choose the questions and the sources, check the facts, build the entity data and decide what is published. We do not claim that pages are written without AI, and we do not write text to evade AI detectors. There is no automatic bulk publishing of articles. More detail is on the methodology page.

Dates and updates

Each guide shows when it was first published and, if it has been materially changed, when it was last changed. The modified date is not updated by rebuilds or small edits. Significant corrections carry a visible note.

Commercial relationships

Information comes first. If affiliate or shop links are added, they will be disclosed on the pages concerned and kept visually distinct from editorial content. Advertising, if ever enabled, is labelled and kept apart from navigation and tools.

Reporting a problem

See the corrections page.