Editorial Standards & Public Trust

Last reviewed: September 2026

At Hands-on Heritage, stories matter because they connect people to places, communities, discoveries, and one another. Our work spans cultural heritage, history, archaeology, science, museums, education, grant development and organizational storytelling.

Our mission is to find and share stories that bind the past, present and future and use those stories to help create connected and resilient communities.

That responsibility requires more than good writing. It requires careful research, thoughtful interpretation, accuracy, transparency, and respect for the people and organizations whose stories we help tell.

Publishing Principles

What We Write About

Hands-on Heritage researches, develops and communicates content involving subjects that may include:

• history and cultural heritage;
• archaeology and material culture;
• museums and visitor experiences;
• science, technology and the natural environment;
• sports and community history;
• travel and art;
• oral history and personal experience;
• historic photographs, documents and artifacts;
• corporate and organizational history;
• public history and interpretation;
• grant opportunities, funding programs and project development;
• educational and interpretive content; and
• related topics that help organizations and communities understand, preserve and communicate their stories.

Our portfolio includes museum and exhibit content, interpretive programs, books, oral histories, historical research, public archaeology, grant development, digital storytelling and other communication projects.

Who We Write For

Our audiences vary with each project. They include museum visitors, students, educators, researchers, community residents, public officials, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, businesses, associations, grant applicants and members of the general public.

We believe complex subjects can be accurate without being inaccessible. Our goal is to make information understandable and engaging while preserving the substance, nuance, and evidence behind it.

Why We Publish

We believe well-researched stories can strengthen communities, preserve knowledge, encourage curiosity and help people understand how the past informs the present.

Our work is intended to help people discover connections among people, ideas, places and communities rather than simply present collections of facts.

Research and Source Standards

Hands-on Heritage approaches research according to the requirements of each project.

Depending upon the subject, sources may include:

• archival documents;
• government records;
• scholarly publications;
• newspapers and periodicals;
• books and manuscripts;
• maps and photographs;
• museum and archival collections;
• archaeological records;
• technical and scientific publications;
• interviews and oral histories;
• institutional records;
• grant guidelines and government funding documents;
• qualified subject-matter experts; and
• reputable digital repositories and databases.

Whenever practical, we favor original records, authoritative institutional sources, and primary documentation.

Historical interpretation sometimes requires reconciling incomplete, contradictory, or evolving evidence. When uncertainty is significant to the story, we strive to distinguish documented fact from interpretation, recollection or reasonable inference.

Accuracy and Verification

Accuracy is fundamental to our work.

We make reasonable efforts to verify:

• names and identities;
• dates;
• quotations;
• historical events;
• scientific and technical information;
• institutional affiliations;
• artifact identifications;
• grant requirements;
• funding amounts and deadlines; and
• other factual information relevant to the work.

The degree of documentation appropriate for a museum label will differ from that required for a research report, grant application, historical publication or informal website article. In each case, we seek a level of verification appropriate to the purpose and audience.

For client projects, we may also incorporate information supplied by clients, project partners, or interview participants. When information cannot independently be verified, we may identify its source or otherwise qualify it when context requires.

Independence and Professional Judgment

Hands-on Heritage provides professional research, writing, interpretation, communication and grant-development services.

Clients may establish the goals, audiences and practical requirements of commissioned projects. However, we do not knowingly fabricate evidence, misrepresent sources or present information we know to be false.

We reserve the right to recommend revisions when available evidence does not support a proposed factual claim.

Ethics

Our professional standards emphasize:

Accuracy. We strive to represent evidence faithfully and in appropriate context.

Transparency. We distinguish fact, interpretation, and opinion when the distinction matters to the audience.

Respect. Oral histories, community memories and cultural resources are treated thoughtfully, particularly when subjects involve personal experiences, contested histories or culturally sensitive information.

Attribution. We seek to appropriately identify authors, photographers, archives, researchers, institutions and other sources when attribution is required or useful.

Professional responsibility. We respect contractual obligations, confidentiality requirements, intellectual-property rights and applicable professional standards.

Research integrity. We do not knowingly invent sources, quotations, historical evidence or research findings.

These standards complement the professional expectations associated with the disciplines represented on our team, including communications, museum practice, historical research and professional archaeology. Hands-on Heritage’s leadership includes a Registered Professional Archaeologist, and its team brings experience in journalism, museum development, research, and public communication.

Use of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Research Tools

Hands-on Heritage may use artificial intelligence, digital research systems, transcription software, image-processing tools and other emerging technologies as part of its research and creative workflow.

These tools may assist with activities such as brainstorming, organizing information, identifying research leads, transcription, language refinement, data analysis, or concept development.

Technology does not replace professional judgment.

For factual work intended for publication, significant claims should be reviewed against appropriate sources before publication. AI-generated material is not treated as an authoritative historical, scientific, or documentary source merely because an automated system produced it.

When AI-generated or substantially AI-modified visual material is used in a context where viewers could reasonably interpret it as documentary or historical evidence, Hands-on Heritage supports clear identification of that material when appropriate.

Corrections Policy

Despite careful research and review, errors can occur.

Hands-on Heritage welcomes notification of possible factual errors in content published on our website.

When a substantive error is brought to our attention, we will:

1. review the questioned information;
2. consult the original or authoritative sources when reasonably available;
3. determine whether a correction is warranted; and
4. correct the published material when appropriate.

Minor typographical, grammatical, or formatting changes may be made without a formal correction notice.

When an error materially changes the meaning or interpretation of published information, we may include a correction or update notice explaining the change.

For materials produced for clients, museums, publications, or other organizations but not controlled by Hands-on Heritage after delivery, correction requests may need to be addressed through the organization responsible for the final publication.

Actionable Feedback Policy

We welcome substantive comments, corrections, additional documentation and constructive feedback regarding material published by Hands-on Heritage.

Useful feedback may include:

• identification of a factual error;
• an additional primary source;
• a corrected name or date;
• information about an artifact, photograph or historic site;
• first-person knowledge relating to a community history;
• accessibility concerns;
• requests for clarification; or
• evidence that important context has been omitted.

Feedback may be submitted through our website contact form.

We review feedback according to its relevance, supporting evidence, and potential effect on the accuracy or usefulness of published material.

We cannot guarantee that every suggestion will result in a change, but we will take substantive factual concerns seriously.

Public Participation and Community Knowledge

Community participation has long been central to Hands-on Heritage’s approach.

Our cultural-heritage work has involved residents contributing photographs, artifacts, memories and oral histories, and our research frequently combines documentary evidence with knowledge preserved within communities.

We recognize that community knowledge can reveal histories that are poorly represented in traditional archives. At the same time, recollection and documentary evidence do not always agree. When appropriate, we preserve those distinctions rather than artificially resolving them.

Editorial Diversity and Inclusive Interpretation

Hands-on Heritage works with stories involving different communities, generations, geographic regions, institutions, professions, and lived experiences.

Our editorial objective is to represent subjects fairly, accurately and in context.

When appropriate to the project, we seek:

• perspectives from people directly connected to the subject;
• voices that may be absent from traditional institutional records;
• historically appropriate terminology and context;
• multiple sources for disputed or complex subjects;
• accessible language without unnecessary simplification; and
• visual and written content that reflects the people and communities represented by the story.

Diversity in interpretation does not require treating all claims as equally supported by evidence. Historical and scientific conclusions should remain grounded in the strongest available evidence.

Sensitive and Contested History

Historical interpretation occasionally involves conflict, discrimination, war, cultural displacement, political disagreement, trauma, or other difficult subjects.

We believe these topics should neither be sensationalized nor erased.

When they are essential to understanding a story, our goal is to provide sufficient context for audiences to understand what occurred, whose perspectives are represented, and what evidence supports the interpretation.

Contacting Us About Published Content

Questions, corrections, supporting documentation, and substantive feedback about content published by Hands-on Heritage may be submitted through our website Contact page.

When contacting us about a specific page, please include the page title or URL and enough information for us to evaluate the issue.