Evidence and sources · QUICK REFERENCE
Primary sources and secondary summaries
A primary document is closest to the event or decision being described; a summary interprets it. Keep both when a summary helps you discover a record, but link a factual claim to the original whenever possible. Readers should not need to chase a chain of copied articles to find the underlying evidence.
A practical checklist
- Identify the publisher of each document.
- Follow citations back to the original record.
- Distinguish reporting from interpretation.
Putting it in context
A news article about a regulator's notice may be useful context. The notice itself is the better source for the entity named and the date of the action.
Keep in mind
A primary source still needs careful reading and may describe only one side or stage of a matter.
References & further reading
The checklist and examples are original editorial guidance. External links provide background within their stated scope; they do not validate an individual operator or case.
- Operator Atlas: research methodologyOur original editorial method
- ACMA: formal warning to BlockDance B.V. (BC.Game)Australia · historical warning dated 17 October 2022
About this edition: how the content is made · corrections & limitations