01
Source hierarchy
Every claim is tied to the earliest surviving record that supports it. Contemporary sources are separated from later narrative, tradition, folklore and modern retelling.
See it applied →Methodology
How historical claims are tested.
The Black Archive Research uses a structured evidence method for publication, broadcast, exhibition and professional decision-making. The purpose is not to make history sound certain. The purpose is to show what the evidence can genuinely bear.
02
Provenance and reliability
Sources are assessed for date, authorship, purpose, transmission and proximity to the event. The question is who made the claim, when, why and how far removed they were.
See it applied →03
Contradiction mapping
Where accounts conflict, the contradiction is not hidden. Competing versions are identified and tested against chronology, motive, source quality and evidential weight.
See it applied →04
Narrative distortion
Public history often compresses, simplifies or dramatises the record. The analysis identifies where later storytelling has overtaken the evidence.
See it applied →05
Evidential classification
Findings are classified as supported, probable, possible, disputed, unsupported or contradicted. Uncertainty is stated plainly.
See it applied →06
Dossier delivery
Commissioned work is delivered as a structured evidence dossier with sources, reliability notes, contradiction table and clear conclusions.
On uncertainty, sources and AI
When evidence is unavailable or uncertain
Where a source cannot be traced, or where surviving evidence is insufficient to settle a question, that limitation is stated directly rather than resolved by assumption. A dossier records what remains unknown as clearly as what has been established.
Source records
Every dossier is delivered with a full source schedule and archive references. Copies or images of sources are supplied to commissioned clients where licensing and archive rules permit.
AI is a drafting aid, never evidence
AI tools may assist with drafting and organisation, but every load-bearing factual claim in a dossier is independently verified against Tier 1–3 sources. AI synthesis is never treated or presented as historical evidence.
Evidence, not performance.
The final product tells the client what can safely be said, what must be qualified, and what should not be claimed without further evidence.
Submit an evidence enquiry