Publication Types

Not every page in this repository is trying to do the same job. Some pages are meant to answer a public question directly. Others explain limits, surface review pressure, or keep a polished output from being mistaken for the whole truth.

This page helps classify a surface before trusting it. The key question is not "does this look finished?" The key question is "what job does this page actually own?"

That distinction matters because a polished page can still serve a narrow role. You should not have to guess whether a surface is:

• meant to answer a real historical or geographic question
• meant to explain context around that question
• meant to expose caveats, blockers, or incomplete recovery work
• meant to document rules that keep the public-facing output from overstating what the repository actually knows

Why Classification Matters

Without that distinction, a site can look more complete and more uniform than it really is. This page aims to prevent that confusion before it starts.

The Four Main Roles

Evidence Surfaces

Evidence surfaces are the public-facing products that summarize what the repository is currently prepared to show. Examples include reports, maps, and the generated bundles they describe.

Use them when the question is:

• what does the repository currently show for one geography or scope
• which signals are already mature enough to be visible publicly
• how one public view relates to another, such as world, Nordic, or country

They are the best place to start when you want the visible answer, but they are not stronger than the evidence chain behind them.

Context Surfaces

Context surfaces strengthen interpretation without pretending to be direct sample-backed proof. The exported pollen, archaeology, boundary, and human context explainers belong here.

Use them when the question is:

• what background material helps interpret the visible public product
• which source family contributes environmental or archaeological context
• why a region can be framed confidently even when sample density is uneven

Review Surfaces

Review surfaces exist so the repository can show where the product is thin, blocked, caveated, or still under recovery pressure.

Use them when the question is:

• why something is missing
• why a visible surface uses cautious language
• what the repository itself says is not ready for a stronger claim

Contract Surfaces

Contract surfaces explain the rules that decide whether a row, point, report, or map view is allowed to publish at all. They are less about historical content and more about publication discipline.

Use them when the question is:

• what had to be true before this visible surface was allowed to exist
• what rules stop the product from quietly promoting weaker evidence
• how a maintainer or auditor can trace one public surface back to its governing evidence

A Fast Rule Of Thumb

• if you want the visible answer, start with an evidence surface
• if you want background that helps interpret that answer, use a context surface
• if you want to understand why language is cautious or why something is missing, use a review surface
• if you want to know what had to be true before publication was allowed, use a contract surface

A Practical Reading Order

A good reading order is:

1. start with reports or maps if you want the visible public answer
2. move to point rules or map inputs if you need to understand how that answer was built
3. move to limits if the visible answer feels thinner or more cautious than expected
4. move to the source-family export pages if you need to understand which kind of evidence contributed context rather than direct sample-backed claims

The Main Rule

When a page looks polished, ask what job it actually owns. In this repository, clarity depends on keeping evidence surfaces, context surfaces, review surfaces, and contract surfaces visibly separate.