Chronicle · Sources
Satoshium Chronicle Sources
Sources identify where information originated. Within Chronicle, Source Records
and external source references support canonical Chronicle Entries by preserving
attribution, source identity, temporal context, citation information, limitations,
and traceable connections to the historical record.
Source identity is distinct from Provenance, Evidence, Verification, Validation,
and authority. Chronicle records where information came from; Provenance records
how it entered Chronicle; Evidence records how material bears on an Entry or claim;
Verification reviews Chronicle's historical representation; and Validation tests
whether the resulting Entry conforms to governing requirements.
Role Within Chronicle
A Source Record is a supporting Chronicle-owned record used only when its
additional structure provides durable operational value. It is not the canonical
historical-preservation object. The canonical Chronicle object remains the
Chronicle Entry.
Chronicle Entry → Source Reference / Relationship → Source Record or External Source
Source architecture exists to preserve origin and citation context without turning
every source into Evidence or every referenced record into Chronicle authority.
Three Source Contexts
Chronicle distinguishes the source context so authority, support, and external
reference are not collapsed into one generic category.
Authoritative Source Record · Supporting Source · Referenced External Source
Authoritative Source Record
A Chronicle Source Record that documents an authoritative object or authoritative
institutional source used by an Entry.
Authority belongs to the originating institution or Suite system, not to the
Chronicle Source Record that references it.
Supporting Source
A Source used to provide context, corroboration, background, attribution,
interpretation, temporal detail, or other support without being the authoritative
object for the underlying action or determination.
Referenced External Source
A Source outside Chronicle and possibly outside the Satoshium Suite that is
referenced directly when creating a separate Chronicle Source Record would add
little operational value or when the external reference itself is the appropriate
durable citation.
Chronicle Source Record
A Chronicle-owned supporting record used when source identity, attribution,
archival context, limitations, or traceability requires structured preservation
beyond a simple external reference.
Attribution
Source information should identify the creator, publisher, institution, system,
repository, or other originator when known and relevant.
Temporal Context
Source creation, publication, update, archive, or access dates should remain
distinguishable from the Chronicle Entry Event Date and Chronicle's own record dates.
Traceability
Source references should be specific enough that a future reviewer can identify
the source that Chronicle relied upon, even if the original location later changes.
Limitations
Known source limitations—such as missing originals, uncertain authorship,
archive-only availability, incomplete context, or broken links—should remain visible.
Source, Evidence, Provenance, and Verification
Source = Where information came from.
Evidence = What bears on the Entry or claim.
Provenance = How the information originated, moved, and entered Chronicle.
Verification = Chronicle's review of its own historical representation.
Validation = Chronicle's conformance test of the current Entry Version.
A single item may participate in more than one of these functions, but the
functions themselves remain distinct.
Authoritative Sources and Authority Boundaries
Some referenced sources are authoritative objects maintained by another Suite
system. Examples may include a Certification Package, SREG Registry Entry,
Integrity Reference, Discovery Signal, Trust Statement, Workflow Definition,
or Atlas record.
Chronicle may preserve a Source Record or direct reference to those objects, but
the originating system retains authority for the object and its lifecycle.
Reference does not transfer authority.
Source Type and Source Role
Source Type describes what the Source is. Source Role describes how the Source
functions in relation to a Chronicle Entry or Evidence Record.
Type → Authoritative Record · Institutional Document · Web Page · Repository Record · Dataset · Archive · Statement · Other
Role → provisional operational description only until Chronicle production demonstrates a stable controlled vocabulary
Source Type should use Chronicle Controlled Values where defined. Source Role
should be formalized as a Controlled Value set only when production use demonstrates
that a stable vocabulary is operationally necessary.
Citation and Reference Expectations
Chronicle should cite or reference Sources with enough specificity to support
identification, retrieval, and later review.
Source identity · Creator / publisher when known · Stable identifier or location ·
Relevant date · Chronicle retrieval / access date where applicable ·
Archive reference when applicable · Known limitations
A citation need not reproduce the entire Source. It should preserve enough
information for a future reviewer to identify what Chronicle relied upon.
Stable Identifier Preferred
When a Source has a stable institutional identifier, repository identifier,
archive identifier, DOI-like identifier, or Suite identifier, Chronicle should
preserve that identifier rather than rely solely on a display title or URL.
URLs Are Locations, Not Identity
A URL may be useful for retrieval but should not be treated as the sole identity
of a Source when a more durable identifier exists.
Archive References
When the live Source is unstable or unavailable, Chronicle should preserve an
archive reference, snapshot information, repository reference, or other durable
locator when practical.
Retrieval Dates
Sources whose content may change over time should record Chronicle's retrieval or
access date as part of Provenance or citation context.
When a Source Record Is Required
A separate Chronicle Source Record should be used when structured source identity,
attribution, archival context, limitations, Provenance, reuse across Entries, or
Validation requirements justify a durable supporting record.
A simple referenced external source may be sufficient when the source is stable,
narrowly used, easily identifiable, and does not require independent Chronicle
lifecycle or preservation treatment.
Use structure when structure adds durable historical value.
Sources and Provenance
Source identity and Provenance must remain separate even when represented near
one another in a schema.
Source: SC-CERT-2026-0001
Provenance: Accessed directly from the Certifier repository on the recorded retrieval date
Sources and Evidence
A Source does not automatically become Evidence merely because Chronicle cites it.
Evidence status depends on whether and how the material bears on the Entry or claim.
Conversely, Evidence should remain traceable to its Source or origin whenever possible.
Sources and Verification
Verification may review source existence, attribution, temporal consistency,
authoritative status, Provenance, archival state, limitations, and consistency
with Chronicle's representation.
Verification does not convert a supporting Source into an authoritative record.
Sources Within Chronicle Validation
Phase VIII establishes Chronicle Validation as an active production function.
Source-related requirements are evaluated through the applicable Chronicle
Validation Rules rather than through a separate Source-validation system.
Validation should confirm, where applicable:
Approved Source Type · Required source identity · Stable or durable reference ·
Required attribution · Valid temporal information · Provenance conformance ·
Known limitations preserved · Applicable Event-Type Profile requirements satisfied ·
Source authority not overstated
A Source defect may cause the current Entry Version to fail Validation when the
affected Source information is required by the Base Schema, Event-Type Profile,
Provenance rules, authoritative-reference requirements, or publication prerequisites.
Sources in the Entry Production Procedure
Source handling occurs within the formal Chronicle Entry Production Procedure
after authoritative-reference collection and during assembly of Sources,
Evidence, Provenance, and Relationships.
Collect Authoritative References → Create Entry → Establish Relationships → Record Sources / Evidence / Provenance → Verify → Validate
Chronicle should create a separate Source Record only when reusable identity,
attribution, archival context, limitations, integrity metadata, Provenance,
Version lineage, or independent discovery justify the additional record.
First Production Source Application
Chronicle's Source model has now been exercised in production through
CHR-2026-0001.
The Entry used the authoritative Certification Package
SC-CERT-2026-0001 as its primary authoritative reference and
retained supporting Certifier materials as traceable Sources:
Certification Process Report
Certification Receipt
SCRD HTML
SCRD JSON
Separate Chronicle Source Records were not required because direct durable
references supplied enough identity and traceability for this Entry.
Use a published identifier where one exists. Otherwise use a durable descriptive
reference and canonical URL. Do not invent identifiers for supporting artifacts.
Source Philosophy
Chronicle preserves source identity because durable history requires durable
traceability. A Source may be authoritative, supporting, contextual, archival,
disputed, incomplete, or external without Chronicle collapsing those distinctions.
Identify the Source. Preserve the reference. Trace the path. Keep authority visible.
Open Provenance →
Open Validation →
Back to Chronicle →