How we work
Methodology
How records are sourced and graded, and how pages are made.
Principles
- Provenance over volume. A record with three sourced facts is worth more than one with thirty unsourced ones.
- Unknown stays unknown. A missing fact is left empty and described as not established.
- Disputable claims are stored as claims with source ids, separate from narrative text.
- No automatic equivalences. A surname, a clan and a tartan are three different things, and each link is its own claim.
- No competitor data. Commercial competitors' descriptions are not copied, paraphrased or used as a source of history.
Evidence levels
Every source record carries a level from A to E. A claim takes the level of its best supporting source, not an average, and repetition across weaker sources does not raise it.
| Level | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| A | Official registry, archive or primary source | A registry record, a statute, a dated archival document |
| B | Respected museum, institution, historical society or clan organisation | A museum catalogue entry, a statement by a clan society or the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs |
| C | Established specialist secondary source | Reference books by recognised dress or tartan scholars |
| D | Commercial source, or general reference that does not cite its own sources | A retailer or mill page; an encyclopedia overview |
| E | Unverified web claim | A forum post or a page with no stated authorship |
A registry entry is the best evidence for what the registry records, such as a name and a submission. It does not establish a tartan's historical origin or its link to a family.
Relationship confidence
Links between a surname, a clan and a tartan each carry a confidence rating, apart from the evidence level of the sources behind them.
- Verified. A level A or B source states the link directly.
- Probable. Reputable sources support the association but do not document its origin, or agree on it without conclusive evidence.
- Uncertain. The link rests on tradition or a single weak source, or sources disagree.
Pages show uncertainty on the page, not in a footnote.
What a record contains
A tartan record holds a canonical name and aliases, a classification and its basis, a thread count and colour key where a source gives one, dates only where documented, associations, and wearing status. Colour values are approximations unless a specification states them. A clan record holds region, seat, motto and associated tartans and surnames, each sourced. Sept lists are treated with caution because they differ between organisations and periods. A surname page exists only when there is something sourced to say beyond the name.
What is published to search engines
Every tartan, clan and surname page passes an explicit check before it is listed in a sitemap or allowed to be indexed: enough sourced content, at least one relationship and, for surnames, multiple evidence claims and a sourced association. Records that fail are not listed. A missing source is treated as research still to do, not a reason to lower the bar.
Swatches
Swatches are generated from thread counts and colour keys. They show the pattern and are not exact fabric appearance, since dye shade, yarn weight and weave vary. Any uncertainty about a sett is stated on the page.
Workflow and the use of AI
Important pages go through these steps: define the reader's question, check that no existing page owns it, gather sources and separate verified facts from uncertain ones, record relationships, outline, draft, check facts against sources, edit for language, add internal links and metadata, and run automated checks for duplicates, banned phrases and missing sources.
AI tools may help with organising research, drafting and editing. They are not treated as a source. People are responsible for selecting sources, verifying facts, entity data, final wording and publication. Nothing in the project generates and publishes articles in bulk. Checking for AI-sounding text is not a goal; accuracy and clarity are.
Limits
This is a small, careful reference and not a complete register. It does not replace the Scottish Register of Tartans, a clan society or a genealogist. Some pages are marked draft because a source we wanted could not be read. Those pages are not offered to search engines until it has been.
Corrections
Send corrections to [email protected]. See the corrections page.