# Second Trace — Pre-Publication Checklist

Run through this before you share or publish any case timeline or research output.

- [ ] Every entry has a date, or is explicitly marked "unknown".
- [ ] Every entry has a certainty state — and no approximate or disputed date is written as exact.
- [ ] Every entry cites its source and its location within that source (page, timestamp).
- [ ] Conflicting accounts are kept side by side, never merged into one "best guess".
- [ ] Gaps are marked, not smoothed over.
- [ ] Allegations, testimony, and inference are labeled — and not written as confirmed fact.
- [ ] No entry implies guilt, ranks anyone as a suspect, or scores danger.
- [ ] Private information (addresses, phone numbers, identifying details) is redacted.
- [ ] The record is consistent with the presumption of innocence.
- [ ] You can reconstruct every entry from its source months or years from now.

## The five rules

1. Every fact traceable — each claim carries its source.
2. Every uncertainty visible — disputed, approximate, and unknown are first-class.
3. Nothing invented — label AI output and inference; "insufficient evidence" is a complete answer.
4. No guilt determinations — the record describes, it does not accuse.
5. Presumption of innocence — on every page, in every export.

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Second Trace is an independent research, documentation, timeline, and relationship-mapping
platform for educational, journalistic, historical, OSINT, and private research. It is not a
law-enforcement tool and does not determine guilt. This checklist is a documentation aid, not
legal advice.