Editorial standards

Alchemy Expert covers subjects where legend, belief and evidence often blur together. These standards explain how we keep them apart.

Sourcing

• We prefer primary sources (the original texts, letters, lab reports and court records) and peer-reviewed scholarship.
• Claims are attributed. When we say something happened, the source for it appears in the article's source list.
• When credible sources disagree, we say so and describe each position fairly rather than quietly picking one.
• We avoid relying on a single secondary source for an important claim.

Myths and disputed claims

Many of our subjects come wrapped in popular myths. We report the myth as a myth, explain where it came from when we can, and set it beside what the record actually shows. Disputed claims are labeled as disputed. We do not present spiritual or esoteric beliefs as established fact, and we do not mock people who hold them.

Corrections

If we get something wrong, we fix it. To report an error, use the contact form and choose "Correction". Tell us the article, what is wrong and, if you can, a source. When we correct a factual error, we note the correction at the end of the article with the date it was made. Small fixes to spelling or formatting are made without a note.

Images

We use public-domain and openly licensed images wherever possible. Every image is credited with its creator or collection and its license, and links back to its source when one is available. Generated artwork is never presented as a historical image.

Affiliate disclosure

Some book links on this site may earn us a commission if you buy through them. This never affects what we cover or what we say about it, and it costs you nothing extra.

How we work

[Editor to confirm: describe how articles are researched, written and checked.]