A feed announces an old publication
Check first-publication date and content. Separate renewed promotion from documentary novelty. If a real revision exists, describe the difference rather than repeat the title as a new fact.
In-depth practical guides
Organise verifiable documentary monitoring
Choose sources, recognise real novelty and retain history: build monitoring that produces useful information rather than a pile of notifications.
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Which change deserves verification and reporting?
Monitoring starts with a decision need, not a feed count. Define topics, actors, territories and expected documents to distinguish a relevant signal from republication. Preserve provenance and dates for each observation. An absence of updates is meaningful only when consulted sources and unavailable sources are known.
Define scope and outputs
Write the questions, exclusions and intended recipient. Define what triggers a note: new document, material change, correction or disappearance. Use a short output containing the change, supporting evidence and relevance to the decision.
Build a source register
List accessible official pages, publications, registers and feeds. Record issuer, coverage, language, access method and chosen checking frequency. Fill coverage gaps rather than multiplying interfaces that repeat the same publication.
Separate dates and states
Record event, publication, announced modification and observation in separate fields. Atom feeds distinguish identifiers and update dates; an update date should not automatically be interpreted as the date of the described event.
Recognise republications and revisions
Compare document reference, stable identifier where available, final URL and useful content. A changed title alone does not create a new document. Link a revision to its predecessor and describe the actual change.
Qualify signals before reporting
Open the complete document, read qualifications and verify scope. Attribute statements clearly. Media coverage can help discover a publication, but keep the document link that actually supports the conclusion.
Maintain usable history
Retain findings, access failures and classification decisions. Schedule checks according to actual change frequency and the cost of missing information. Reassess inactive sources and alerts that never yield useful signals.
Situations and decisions
Typical situations for preparing a check. They do not describe completed assignments or actual observations.
Several alerts concern one document
Link notifications to the initial publication. Keep republications adding an identifiable contribution; group others so notification volume is not presented as independent confirmation.
A monitored page becomes unavailable
Record last successful access and current failure. Look for a new official address or equivalent channel. Do not translate access failure into no change; mark coverage as incomplete.
Record to retain
- Source register, scope, access methods and planned checks.
- Document identity, separate dates, version and signal-supporting excerpt.
- Links between republications, revisions and initial publication.
- Check status, classification decision and outstanding verification.
Official references
Related protocols
Frequently asked questions
How often should checks run?
Match frequency to the source, need and acceptable delay. Annual publications and frequently edited pages need different schedules. Reassess based on changes actually observed.
Is a notification sufficient evidence?
It identifies a lead. Open the document, confirm version and context and retain its reference. If inaccessible, mark the signal unverified instead of treating the notification as complete evidence.
Should all republications be deleted?
No. They may add translation, context or independent verification. Link them to the original and describe their contribution; copies adding nothing can be grouped.
How can monitoring usefulness be measured?
Track qualified signals, decisions supported, coverage gaps and processing time. Raw alert count measures activity, not by itself the documentary value produced.