Methodology

Every CAWT profile should answer four questions: what is happening, who is involved, what can be verified, and how recent is the verification?

Source hierarchy

We prefer primary or first-order institutional sources where available: UN agencies and monitoring missions, international humanitarian organisations, official statistical releases, court or treaty documents, and well-documented specialist datasets. High-quality reporting is used to add context or cover fast-moving events. Claims made by governments, armed groups or de facto authorities are attributed to them.

Casualty and displacement figures

Different sources count different populations, time periods and incident types. CAWT therefore does not silently add figures from incompatible datasets. A number is published with its source, reference period and verification status. Where a UN report says a figure comes from a local authority or another party, CAWT preserves that attribution.

Last verified

The “Last verified” date means the date on which the profile was checked against the cited source set. It is not a claim that no event occurred after that date.

Maps

Map points are orientation aids rather than precise front lines. Geographic coordinates should identify the relevant country, city or conflict area without implying territorial control.

Corrections and updates

Substantive corrections should be recorded transparently. New information normally updates a Latest post first; durable profiles are refreshed when the change alters the long-term reference picture.