Methodology & Source Evaluation

Summary: This methodology defines evidence classification, analytical dimensions, and review cadence.

Analytical Dimensions:

• Domain: electoral, digital, organizational, ideological, media, mobilization, legal, financial.
• Scale: macro (national), meso (state/regional), micro (booth/cluster).
• Temporal Phase: pre-campaign, campaign, post-campaign, crisis.

Evidence Strength Rubric: Strong: ≥6 independent sources including ≥2 academic or official. Moderate: ≥4 sources with at least one academic or official. Emerging: ≥2 sources; requires explicit caveat.

Reliability Tiers: A: peer-reviewed, official documents, platform transparency reports [src:source-studies-indian-politics-2022]. B: Established national/international media [src:source-epw-cadre-2020]. C: Investigative portals / opinion – used only when corroborated [src:source-oxford-journal-nationalism-2021].

Review Cadence:

• Dynamic digital tactic pages: 180 days.
• Structural history pages: 365 days.
• Legal framework pages: 180 days or upon regulation change.

Mermaid Diagram – Classification Flow:

Bias Mitigation Steps:

1. Source diversity check script ensures no single outlet >40% citations on a page.
2. Alternative scholarly framing section required when contradictions documented.

Correction Protocol: Each correction entry stores: page id, original text hash, corrected text, timestamp, rationale.

Limitations: Cannot infer causality where only temporal correlation exists; such cases labeled: "Analysis: Correlation only".

References: All source IDs listed in frontmatter.