Sources policy
Every factual sentence in a script maps to one row of the claim ledger, citing a Tier 1 or Tier 2 source at an exact location. This file is the standard both the writer and the verifier apply.
Tiers
| Tier | What counts | Examples | Use for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Primary | Original texts in critical editions or scholarly translations; inscriptions; excavation and survey reports | Mahabharata critical edition (Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute) and its translations; Valmiki Ramayana critical edition and translations; Archaeological Survey of India reports; Epigraphia Indica | What a text actually says; what was actually found |
| 2 Scholarly secondary | University-press or peer-reviewed histories; museum catalogue records; encyclopaedias with named expert authors; UNESCO World Heritage files | Upinder Singh, A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India; British Museum, Met, V&A collection records; Encyclopaedia Britannica | Dates, context, how scholars interpret evidence |
| 3 Lead only | Wikipedia, news features, popular books, documentaries, YouTube, blogs | Wikipedia's reference list | Finding Tier 1–2 sources. Never cited |
| Never | WhatsApp forwards, quote images, social posts, AI answers without a source | — | Nothing |
Exact locations
- Epics and Puranas: book (parva/kanda) . chapter . verse, plus the edition and translator.
- Books: page number and edition year.
- Museum objects: accession or object number.
- Web pages: the URL of the specific page, not a home page.
Framing rules
- Say which kind of claim it is: "Valmiki's Ramayana says…" (text), "a later tradition holds…" (tradition), "archaeologists found…" (record). Never blend them.
- Where versions of a story differ, say so, and name which version the reel tells.
- Where scholars disagree, say so in one line and give no verdict.
- Never claim modern science proves or confirms a sacred story.
- Numbers (dates, distances, counts) need their own ledger row.
Citation formats
- On screen (max 6 words):
Mahabharata 17.3 · BORI ed.·Upinder Singh 2008, p. 412·British Museum 1880.22 - Caption reference list:
[1] Author/editor, Title, edition/translator, location. URL