METHODS / THE EVIDENCE PROTOCOL
Method before findings.
Human Origins Lab publishes its method before its first Concept Genealogy. This protocol sets the editorial and documentary standards for tracing where each concept in the model came from.
OUR STANCE
We separate the historical record from our hypothesis.
Origins is designed to show where a field looked, how its terms changed, and where its attention moved. That documentary work can expose an upstream gap without claiming to have closed it.
The Lab’s thesis—that brand can be traced further upstream into human experience and human identity—remains under examination. A genealogy is evidence about a concept’s history, not a shortcut to causal certainty.
EDITORIAL STANDARD
One fixed structure for every Concept Genealogy.
A common structure makes the series comparable over time and makes omissions, changes, and disagreements easier to inspect.
- 01
Set the scope
Before research begins, the genealogy states which disciplines, uses, and boundaries it covers. “Brand,” for example, cannot be treated as one unlimited concept across every field.
- 02
Identify first appearance and founding sources
We distinguish an early use from an early scholarly formulation, then cite the primary works that established the concept within the declared scope.
- 03
Draw the periods
We explain how the study of a concept changed over time and why the period boundaries are warranted. Where dates or transitions are disputed, the disagreement is stated.
- 04
Describe the current state and contestation
Each genealogy records how the concept is currently understood, where definitions or methods still diverge, and which questions remain unresolved.
- 05
State the standing position
Every genealogy ends with what this history implies for the Human Origins Model, what it does not establish, open questions, sources, named authorship, and update history.
FOUNDING SOURCES
What counts as a source.
Priority goes to works that make a concept available for scholarly study—not merely later summaries that describe it.
01 / PRIMARY WORK
First-hand where possible
We cite the original publication, archival record, or first edition where it is available and appropriate.
02 / EARLIEST DEFENSIBLE
Not the first phrase we can find
An early mention is not automatically a founding source. The account explains why a work matters to the concept’s scholarly development.
03 / DECLARED SCOPE
Boundaries before chronology
Fields, languages, and concept variants included in the genealogy are stated so readers know what the historical claim covers.
04 / LINKABLE RECORD
Sources remain traceable
Each cited primary work is recorded with a stable reference, and later source-register entries will carry permanent identifiers.
EVIDENCE LANGUAGE
Historical documentation is not a confidence score.
A Concept Genealogy is governed by dated sources, scope, periodisation, and contested points. When a page also makes a current evidence-synthesis claim, that separate claim carries a visible confidence label.
- Established
Consistent across high-quality reviews or multiple robust studies.
Use only where the wider evidence supports a stable conclusion across more than one credible source.
- Supported
A credible body of evidence with material limits or context dependence.
The evidence is meaningful, but it should not be treated as universal or context-free.
- Emerging
Promising but limited, early, or uneven evidence.
A signal worth following, not a settled conclusion.
- Contested
Substantive disagreement in findings, theory, or method.
Disagreement remains part of the public account.
- Unknown
Insufficient evidence or no adequate synthesis.
Absence of evidence is identified rather than filled with confident inference.
- Thesis / under examination
The Lab’s own hypothesis is never presented as a field finding.
It is marked separately, with the questions and work required to test it.
WHAT WE DO NOT CLAIM
A useful boundary is part of the method.
The series is deliberately precise about what historical documentation can establish and where a reader should remain cautious.
- 01
Not a complete literature
A genealogy makes its coverage boundary visible; it does not imply that every publication, language, or disciplinary tradition has been exhausted.
- 02
Not causal proof
Showing that a field moved from one object of study to another does not itself prove a causal relationship or the Lab’s upstream thesis.
- 03
Not a universal sequence
Concept histories differ by geography, field, institution, and language. The account states its scope rather than treating one route as the only route.
- 04
Not the final word
Every page is versioned. New sources, better interpretations, corrections, and challenges can revise a genealogy without erasing its publication record.
INDEPENDENCE & ACCOUNTABILITY
The public record includes the conditions of publication.
Authority is demonstrated through transparent practice: who made the work, how it was supported, and how it can be challenged or corrected.
Named authorship
Every substantive artifact identifies its author, publication date, version, and editorial owner.
Funding & commissioning
Funding, commissioning, and conflicts are disclosed beside relevant work. Sponsors do not alter published conclusions.
Independence status
Independent synthesis, commissioned synthesis, and original research are clearly labelled rather than blurred together.
Corrections
Material corrections are dated, explained, and retained in the public record. Superseded work is marked and linked forward.
Data & privacy
Newsletter and contact information are used only for the stated purpose. Evidence summaries and methodology are never gated behind email.
Public challenge
Readers can contact the Lab with source corrections, alternative interpretations, and evidence that should change the record.
NEXT STEP
Follow the Origins series as it develops.
One evidence briefing each month. Sources, limits, and open questions included.