Reading method

Four steps for every claim

01

Hear the claim

Each episode states the specific claim under examination in the words of the source making it, so you know exactly what is being tested.

02

Review original context

The surrounding text, date, and author of the original record are laid out so the claim can be read in its place within the record.

03

Examine citations

Every historical reference is listed with its archive or publication details, allowing you to locate and check the passage yourself.

04

Compare findings

The evidence is weighed against the conclusion drawn from it, and any gap between what a source says and what is claimed is marked plainly.

Source standards

Contemporary accounts and later recollections

A contemporary account, written close to the events it describes, carries different weight from a recollection composed decades later. Each source is identified by its date, author, and the circumstances of its creation so that the difference is visible at a glance.

Where a claim rests on a late recollection, the episode says so and notes whether an earlier record corroborates or contradicts it. Citations are given in full so that every conclusion can be traced back to the page it came from.