Flag research works best when a correction can be traced back to the field that needs changing. WorldFlags.online therefore treats official specifications, government or institutional publications, legislation, archival material and specialist flag references as evidence for the structured record rather than as prose to copy into the site.
Preferred source order
When available, a current official source is preferred for the legal design, ratio, colours, emblem rules or current status of a flag. Historical flags may require archival or specialist vexillological references because the issuing state or organisation no longer exists. Secondary sources can help locate a fact, but the wording of those sources is not treated as article copy.
What to include in a correction
A useful correction identifies the flag, the exact field in question and the evidence supporting the change. Examples include: “the stored ratio is wrong,” “the downloadable SVG uses a different shade from the documented specification,” “this historical design is dated incorrectly,” or “the entity is being labelled as a country when it is a territory.” A link to an official or specialist reference makes the correction much easier to verify.
Why corrections are made in the data layer
One field can feed several parts of the site. A colour may appear on the flag page, in the comparison tool and in colour browsing. A symbol can affect the individual record and a symbol category. Correcting only the visible paragraph can leave the rest of the site inconsistent, so accepted changes should update the underlying record and then be rechecked across the pages that use it.
Sources are not permission to copy wording
Sources are used to verify facts. Their sentence structure, introductions, examples and explanatory sequence should not be reproduced or lightly rewritten as WorldFlags.online content. The editorial goal is an independently written explanation based on verified information, with direct quotation reserved for cases where the exact wording itself matters.
If a source conflicts with another source
Conflicts should not be hidden behind a confident single sentence. Check whether the sources refer to different dates, legal versions, civil versus state flags, current versus historical practice, or an official specification versus a common commercial rendering. If the conflict cannot be resolved, the record should state the uncertainty or omit the disputed field until better evidence is available.