Editorial standards
The site is governed by a small number of editorial principles. These principles are stated in full below, with examples of how they are applied in practice.
1. Accuracy
Every factual claim on the site is tied to a specific source. The standard scholarly literature is cited in the Sources section at the end of every page. Where the scholarly literature is in dispute, the site says so, and the principal positions in the dispute are summarised.
The site is not, and could not be, a primary source. Where the site makes a specific numerical claim — a date, a casualty count, a treaty figure — the source for the claim is named. Where a figure is uncertain, the uncertainty is acknowledged.
The site uses German-language place names for the historical record and the modern national-language name for the present-day location, in the same sentence where the difference matters. The standard convention is: German for the historical, modern national for the present-day, with a one-time gloss in parentheses.
2. Clarity
The site is written in a plain, specific prose, with concrete dates, names, places and figures. The site avoids the kind of evaluative filler that is common in encyclopedic writing. The site does not, in particular, use phrases like "in many respects", "in the long run", "in the strict letter", or "in substance" as filler.
The site is written by a single editorial team, in a single voice, with consistent conventions of dates, names, and the citation of sources. The site does not pretend to be encyclopedic neutrality; the site is written by a particular team with a particular point of view.
3. Completeness within scope
The site covers the canonical history of the Teutonic Order, and the principal scholarly debates. The site does not, however, attempt to be exhaustive. The site is a reference, not an archive. The site does not, in particular, cover:
- Every Grand Master of the Order. The site covers the Grand Masters who figure in the principal narrative; the complete list is in the standard reference works.
- Every convent castle of the Order. The site covers the principal castles, with a representative sample of the others.
- Every battle of the Order. The site covers the principal battles, with a representative sample of the others.
- Every papal bull, every chapter general statute, and every chancery document. The site cites the standard editions of these sources.
4. Transparency
Every page identifies its author, the date of the most recent editorial review, and the standard scholarly works on which the page is based. The author of the site is identified by name on the About page, and the editorial review dates are at the foot of every page.
Errors are corrected openly. When an error is found, the correction is made on the page itself, and the correction is recorded in the QA log, which is a public document. The QA log records the date of the correction, the nature of the error, the nature of the correction, and the source on which the correction is based.
5. Voice
The site is written by a single editorial team, in a single voice. The voice is plain, specific, and confident in its claims but not in its interpretations. The site does not pretend to be encyclopedic neutrality. The site is written by a particular team with a particular point of view, and the site says so openly.
The voice of the site is, in particular, not the voice of an institutional reference work. The site does not use impersonal constructions where personal constructions would be clearer. The site does not hedge where a direct statement would be more useful. The site does not adopt the corporate "we" where the editorial "we" would be more honest.
6. Sourcing
The site's standard sources are the canonical scholarly works on the Teutonic Order. The principal works cited on the site are:
- Boockmann, Hartmut. Der Deutsche Orden: Zwölf Kapitel aus seiner Geschichte. Munich: Beck, 1981.
- Biskup, Marian, and Gerard Labuda. Dzieje zakonu krzyżackiego w Prusach. Gdańsk: Wydawnictwo Morskie, 1986.
- Biskup, Marian. Der Deutsche Orden im Zeitalter der Reformation. Marburg: Elwert, 1989.
- Urban, William. The Teutonic Knights: A Military History. London: Greenhill, 2003.
- Forey, Alan. The Military Orders: From the Twelfth to the Early Fourteenth Centuries. Basingstoke: Macmillan, 1992.
- Housley, Norman. Contesting the Crusades. Oxford: Blackwell, 2006.
- Riley-Smith, Jonathan. The Crusades: A Short History. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1987.
- Ekdahl, Sven. Die Schlacht bei Tannenberg 1410. Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, 2010.
- Christiansen, Eric. The Northern Crusades. 2nd ed. London: Penguin, 1997.
- Favreau-Lilie, Marie-Luise. Die Ritterbrüder im livländischen Zweig des Deutschen Ordens. Cologne: Böhlau, 2003.
- Benninghoven, Friedrich. Der Orden der Schwertbrüder. Cologne: Böhlau, 2005.
- Strehlke, Ernst, ed. Tabulae ordinis Theutonici. Berlin: Weidmann, 1869.
These are the standard reference works that any careful reader of the Order's history should consult. A fuller bibliography is given in the QA log.
7. Review cycle
Every page on the site is reviewed by the editorial team on a regular basis. The review cycle is:
- At the time of first publication, every page is reviewed by the team before it is published.
- Every six months, every page is reviewed by the team for factual accuracy, prose quality, and citation practice.
- When a new scholarly work is published that bears on a specific page, the page is reviewed for that work.
- When a reader identifies an error, the page is reviewed and the correction is recorded in the QA log.
The date of the most recent editorial review of a page is given at the foot of the page.
8. Conflicts of interest
The site is not a commercial site. The site does not accept advertising, sponsorship, or paid promotion. The site is not affiliated with the modern Teutonic Order, with any university, with any national heritage institution, or with any other organisation. The site is the work of the editorial team named on the About page, in their own time, at their own expense.
The site's revenue model, if any, is the standard hosting-and-domain model. The site pays for its own hosting and its own domain registration. The site does not sell any product or service. The site does not collect any personal data beyond the standard server logs.