Methodology
How ARED classifies records
ARED preserves source institution metadata while adding contextual, scholarly and community-informed enrichment. Classifications are transparent, reviewable, and open to correction.
Classification levels
- Knowledge area — Broad fields of study or knowledge tradition (e.g. Material culture, African philosophy).
- Concept — Specific ideas, frameworks or cultural meanings represented in the record (e.g. Restitution, Sankofa).
- Tag — Practical terms used for retrieval (e.g. Ghana, Kente, 19th century).
Who creates classifications
- Source institutions provide original catalogue fields.
- ARED editorial workflows normalise and expand fields for cross-archive discoverability.
- Community contributions can add local names, corrections, oral histories and disputed interpretations.
- Machine assistance may suggest terms; these are marked and reviewed before trust elevation.
Review and contested terms
Every major metadata field includes provenance and review status. Contested or incomplete interpretations are labelled and remain open to correction. Colonial terminology is preserved where historically necessary, with contextual interpretation so users can see both source language and editorial framing.
Suggesting corrections
Use Community knowledge and responses on any record to submit local knowledge, correction, alternative naming, oral history, translation context, or disputed interpretation. Contributions are marked with status labels and do not silently overwrite source institution metadata.