Provenance research guide · template
Provenance claim and evidence matrix
Map every material provenance claim to quotations, source quality, conflicts, certainty, and the next verification step.
Make claims atomic
Split compound statements into testable parts: object identity, actor identity, date, transaction type, location, and source interpretation. A document naming a person and artwork may not establish a sale or physical handover.
Split compound statements into testable parts: object identity, actor identity, date, transaction type, location, and source interpretation. A document naming a person and artwork may not establish a sale or physical handover. Use a source ledger and claim identifiers so another researcher can reproduce the decision, challenge an assumption, and distinguish evidence from interpretation.
Score support without hiding judgment
Use named certainty labels with written criteria rather than unexplained numbers. Record whether evidence is direct, contemporary, independent, internally consistent, and object-specific.
Use named certainty labels with written criteria rather than unexplained numbers. Record whether evidence is direct, contemporary, independent, internally consistent, and object-specific. Use a source ledger and claim identifiers so another researcher can reproduce the decision, challenge an assumption, and distinguish evidence from interpretation.
Preserve contradictions
List conflicting sources beside the claim they affect. Explain whether the conflict concerns identity, date, role, place, or interpretation, and state what evidence could resolve it.
List conflicting sources beside the claim they affect. Explain whether the conflict concerns identity, date, role, place, or interpretation, and state what evidence could resolve it. Use a source ledger and claim identifiers so another researcher can reproduce the decision, challenge an assumption, and distinguish evidence from interpretation.
Record the boundary of the evidence
End the research record by separating documented facts, supported interpretations, unresolved questions, and disconfirmed leads. A gap is not proof of wrongdoing, and a repeated statement is not independent corroboration when every repetition traces back to the same source.
Retain the source URL or call number, access date, quoted passage, page or image reference, and a file hash when a stable local copy is permitted. This makes the conclusion reproducible and makes later correction possible without rewriting the history of the research.