Editorial Policy

This policy explains how WAR ATLAS articles are researched, written, checked and corrected. It is the standard every article on this site is held to.

Sourcing

Every article is built from sources that readers can check. We use primary sources where they exist — official records, orders, diaries, letters, photographs and documents from the time — and secondary sources: official histories, scholarly books and articles, and the work of professional historians.

Every article ends with a list of its sources, so that any reader can see where each important fact comes from and can verify it. We do not present a fact without a source behind it. If a claim rests on a single source, or on a source that is itself uncertain, we say so in the article.

Fact-checking

Before publication, each article is checked separately from the writing: dates, names, places, numbers, quotations and maps are verified against the sources. Anything that cannot be verified is either marked as uncertain — “estimated”, “reported”, “claimed by” — or left out entirely. Length and search-engine considerations never justify an unverified fact.

Disputed figures are a particular case. Where serious sources disagree — on casualty numbers, production figures, or the performance of a weapon, for example — we give the figure as a range, name the sources, and explain why they differ, rather than choosing one number and presenting it as certain.

Neutrality

We apply the same factual standard to every side. What the Allies did and what the Axis did are described in the same way: concrete actions, with their consequences, and with the sources. We do not use language that glorifies one side or demonises the other, and we do not present the opinion of one historian as if it were settled fact — opinions are labelled as opinions, with their author named.

War crimes and atrocities are reported truthfully and without sensationalism, because they are part of the history. They are not used to condemn a whole people, and they are not hidden to protect one.

Corrections

Mistakes happen, and history is revised as new evidence appears. When a reader reports an error, we check it against the sources. If the error is confirmed, we correct the article and add a short correction note saying what was changed and why. We do not silently rewrite articles. Substantial changes to an article after publication are noted in the same way.

No plagiarism

Our articles are written in our own words from the sources. Quotations are kept short, are marked as quotations, and are attributed to their author and source. We do not copy text from other websites, books or articles.

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence is used on this site for illustrations only. Every illustration is generated by AI in a realistic documentary style, and is clearly an illustration, not a historical photograph. The text of our articles is researched and written by the editorial team; it is not generated by AI. Where AI is used for any other purpose in the future, we will say so here.

No sponsored editorial content

We do not publish sponsored articles, paid reviews, or any editorial content paid for by an advertiser. Advertising on the site is separate from editorial content and is governed by our Advertising Policy. No advertiser influences what we write.

Languages

Articles are published first in English and Vietnamese. Other languages — French, German, Japanese and Spanish — are planned. Each translation is a translation of the same article, not a new article: the facts, figures and sources are the same in every language.

Feedback

We welcome corrections, questions and suggestions from readers. If you spot an error, know a source we should read, or disagree with something we have written, please write to us — see our Contact page. Serious, sourced feedback is always taken seriously, even when we disagree with it.