Editing Help:Reconstructing tournament results (section)

== 8. Record evidence systematically ==

Research should be organised so that claims can be traced back to their original sources.

For each tournament, maintain a working record containing:

* Event name and date.
* Series and round number.
* Team name as published.
* Evidence of registration or participation.
* Claimed result or award.
* Cup, Plate or other classification.
* Source URL and publisher.
* Publication date.
* Whether the evidence is contemporary or retrospective.
* Any uncertainty or contradiction.
* Research status.

=== Suggested research statuses ===

The following distinctions are useful for organising unpublished research.

{| class="wikitable"
! Status
! Meaning
|-
| Officially documented
| The organiser or official results record explicitly supports the claim
|-
| Corroborated
| Multiple credible records independently support the claim
|-
| Participant-reported
| An identifiable participant or team reports a result that has not been independently confirmed
|-
| Research lead
| A possible result or entry requiring further investigation
|-
| Disputed
| Available sources conflict or the evidence is insufficient to resolve the claim
|}

These are research classifications, not automatic permission to publish a claim.

An appropriately attributed participant report may sometimes be useful in an article. Unsupported leads must not be presented as facts.

=== Record the original source ===

For every useful post or document, preserve:

* The direct link to the relevant post or page.
* Name of the author or publishing organisation.
* The date the material was published.
* A brief description of the evidence.
* The specific claim supported by that evidence.
* An archived URL if available.

Where practical, retain a research copy or screenshot for comparison, respecting privacy and copyright requirements.

Link directly to the supporting material in the published article, not merely to the account's homepage.