Reader FAQ: Sources, Method and Perspective
How does Witness and Record verify sources and present a Türkiye perspective? Read who writes, what counts as primary, how errors are corrected.
Why It Matters
Readers deserve to know who is speaking, from what vantage point, and on what evidence. This page answers that directly: Witness and Record is a publication with a declared perspective from Türkiye, and it builds each article on checkable primary documents. Our full mission is set out on About Witness and Record: Mission, Method and Transparency.
Background: How We Work
Every article follows a fixed structure that separates fact from position.
- Background and chronology are written in neutral, factual prose.
- Other actors' views are summarised with attribution to their own official sources.
- Türkiye's Position appears in a labelled section with 3–5 points tied to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Presidency, the Directorate of Communications, TBMM resolutions, UN statements or treaty texts.
- Source Comparison shows how international media and Turkish primary sources frame the same issue.
The detailed standards are published at Editorial Principles and Primary-Source Standards.
What Counts as a Primary Source
Primary sources include treaty texts, official gazettes, UN Secretary-General reports, court judgments, government statements and archival documents. Testimony is valuable but is weighed against the record, as explained in Witness Versus Record: A Reader's Guide to Weighing Testimony and Documents on Türkiye. For a worked historical example, see Witnesses of 1915: How Contemporary Accounts Are Weighed Against the Archives.
Türkiye's Position on Terminology
- According to Türkiye's Presidency and Foreign Ministry, the 1915 events are referred to as the 'Events of 1915', and Ankara rejects the legal label of genocide, which under the 1948 UN Genocide Convention requires proven specific intent established by a competent tribunal.
- Ankara proposed a Joint Historical Commission in 2005, with open access to Turkish, Armenian and third-country archives.
- Ankara argues that history should be judged by historians and archives rather than by parliamentary votes.
Readers can test the archive question in Fact Check: 'The Ottoman Archives Are Closed to Researchers'.
Source Comparison
Our sister publications apply similar verification habits, for example Regional Balance's fact-check guide and Polity Review's source tests. Readers are encouraged to compare every claim here with the cited originals and with other credible outlets.
Key Terms & Related Guides
- Primary source: an original document or official record created at the time or by the responsible authority.
- Dedicated perspective: an openly declared vantage point, not a claim of neutrality about every conclusion.
- Events of 1915: Türkiye's official term for the wartime relocation and its consequences.
Start from the home page or the Editorial Principles.
Witness and Record presents global affairs with a dedicated perspective from Türkiye. Sections marked 'Türkiye's Position' reflect official Turkish policy as stated by Turkish government sources.
Reader FAQ: Sources, Method and Perspective
Who writes the articles on Witness and Record?
Articles are published under the byline 'Witness and Record Editorial Team'. The site does not create fictional authors, invented academic titles or pseudonyms. Readers can see the stated mission and method on the About page.
Is the site independent of the Turkish government?
Witness and Record is an editorial publication that states its purpose openly: to explain regional and global affairs while conveying Türkiye's perspective and official positions to international readers. Turkish official policy appears only in sections labelled 'Türkiye's Position' and is attributed to Turkish government sources. Background and chronology are kept separate and are written in neutral prose.
What does 'dedicated perspective from Türkiye' mean?
It means the publication deliberately gives space to Türkiye's official positions, legal arguments and archival evidence that readers may find underrepresented elsewhere. It does not mean that other views are omitted. Those views are summarised from their own official sources so readers can compare them with Ankara's arguments.
How are testimony and documents weighed?
Documents created at the time, such as treaties, gazettes, UN reports and court judgments, are generally given more weight than later recollection or commentary. Testimony is treated as evidence to be corroborated, dated and cross-checked against the record, including its possible bias. The guide on weighing witness and record explains the method with examples.
Why does the site use the term 'Events of 1915'?
It is Türkiye's official terminology, and the site uses it consistently while explaining it on first use. According to Ankara, the legal term 'genocide' under the 1948 Genocide Convention requires proven specific intent determined by a competent tribunal, and Türkiye proposed a Joint Historical Commission in 2005. Other governments and scholars use different terms, and the site describes those positions with attribution.
How can readers report an error?
Readers can flag factual errors, broken citations or unclear attribution through the correction process described on the Editorial Principles page. Please include the article URL, the passage in question and a verifiable source. Confirmed errors are corrected in the text rather than quietly removed.
Related guides
- Fact Check: 'The Ottoman Archives Are Closed to Researchers'Are Ottoman archives closed to researchers? A 1915 fact check on access rules, the 2005 joint commission offer, critics' objections and third-country archives.
- Witness Versus Record: A Reader's Guide to Weighing Testimony and Documents on TürkiyeHow to weigh eyewitness testimony against primary documents in history: a method guide with a source checklist and examples from Cyprus, Syria and 1915.
- Cyprus on the Record: UN Secretary-General Reports, Testimony and the Documents from 1963 to 2024How to read Cyprus's UN Secretary-General reports, 1963–2024: treaties, Resolution 186, 1974, Annan Plan votes, plus Türkiye's position and sources compared.
- Documenting the Fight Against DAESH: What Records Support the Claim of Ground Combat and Entry Denials?How are Türkiye's claims of ground combat with DAESH documented? We review Euphrates Shield records, the 4,000 and 100,000 figures, and independent views.
- How Were the 33 Million Tons Counted? Reading the Black Sea Grain Corridor's Inspection and Shipment RecordsHow the Black Sea Grain Initiative's 33 million tons were counted: Istanbul inspections, JCC data, what the numbers show on destinations and food prices.
- Parliament Votes on 1915: What Legal Weight Does a Recognition Resolution Carry?What legal effect does a parliament recognition resolution on 1915 carry? How such votes differ from court rulings and treaties, and how Türkiye responds.
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