Raleighpedia:Hierarchy of sources

Purpose

Raleighpedia documents Raleigh’s civic, historical, and community record. To do this consistently and transparently, the project uses a hierarchy of sources that reflects how decisions are actually made, recorded, and experienced.

This hierarchy guides:

• How claims are supported
• How conflicting sources are resolved
• How readers should interpret evidence
• How Raleighpedia distinguishes fact from context and interpretation

Core principle

Not all sources carry the same authority.

Raleighpedia prioritizes sources based on their role in formal decision making, documentation, and lived experience.

Higher tiers establish what happened. Lower tiers add context, interpretation, or experience.

Tier 1: Official civic record

These sources document formal government action.

Examples include:

• City Council meeting minutes
• Planning Commission meeting minutes
• Adopted ordinances and resolutions
• Recorded votes and roll calls
• Signed agreements and adopted plans

Use:

• Establishing dates, votes, and outcomes
• Confirming what was approved, rejected, or deferred

When available, Tier 1 sources should be used to back up factual claims.

Tier 2: Administrative and technical documents

These sources explain how decisions were evaluated and implemented within government.

Examples include:

• Staff reports and memos
• Rezoning and development case files
• Transportation or environmental studies
• Capital improvement plans
• Permit and inspection records

Use:

• Explaining intent, analysis, or rationale
• Understanding tradeoffs considered by staff
• Tracing implementation details

These sources provide context but do not supersede formal actions.

Tier 3: Quasi official and institutional sources

These sources are adjacent to city government but are not direct decision making bodies.

Examples include:

• Regional planning organizations
• Public authorities and boards
• State agency guidance affecting Raleigh
• University or nonprofit civic research centers

Use:

• Regional or cross jurisdictional context
• Technical framing relied upon by staff or council

Tier 4: Journalism and contemporary reporting

These sources document how civic actions were communicated and perceived publicly.

Examples include:

• Local newspapers
• Public radio coverage
• Regional business journals
• Investigative reporting

Use:

• Capturing public reaction or controversy
• Providing narrative context

Reporting should not override official records when establishing facts.

Tier 5: Community documentation and oral history

These sources capture lived experience and informal knowledge.

Examples include:

• Resident interviews
• Neighborhood association materials
• Community meeting notes
• Personal photographs or firsthand accounts

Use:

• Documenting experiences not reflected in official records
• Preserving community memory

These sources should always be clearly labeled as community based.

Tier 6: Raleighpedia synthesis and interpretation

Raleighpedia allows original synthesis when it is transparent and well documented.

Examples include:

• Timelines compiled from multiple sources
• Cross case comparisons
• Summaries of multi year policy evolution
• Maps or tables derived from multiple documents

Requirements:

• All underlying sources must be cited
• Facts must be separated from interpretation
• Interpretive language should be explicit

This tier exists to make complex records usable, not to replace them.

Resolving conflicts between sources

When sources conflict:

1. Official civic records take precedence
2. More recent dated records outweigh older ones
3. Interpretation must be labeled when records are ambiguous
4. Community accounts are preserved but not treated as dispositive

Why this hierarchy exists

This hierarchy reflects how civic knowledge actually works in Raleigh:

• Decisions happen through process
• Records matter
• Context shapes outcomes
• Experience fills gaps

Making this structure explicit improves clarity for readers and reduces misinterpretation when Raleighpedia content is reused in research, reporting, or AI generated summaries.

This hierarchy may evolve as Raleighpedia grows. Any changes should be documented and discussed openly.