Method
Sources and method
How we decide what to say, how sure we are, and how you can check it.
Sources
Each source is linked where it was published, with its publisher, its kind and, where relevant, its tradition or standpoint (for example, “Faith org · Catholic”). Summaries are written in our own words; reading or citing an article does not give us the right to reproduce it.
- Official
- A government or official agency.
- Research
- A research body, academic source or published dataset.
- Faith org
- A church, denomination, mission or Christian organization, including advocacy groups.
- News
- A news outlet or independent reporter.
- Editorial
- Commentary or opinion, cited as such.
Evidence
Four things are kept visibly apart: what a source observed or alleged, what other evidence supports it, what remains uncertain or disputed, and our own prayer or theological reflection. On the page they are labeled:
- Reported: what a named source says happened.
- Background: dated background.
- Uncertain or disputed: what is not known, or where sources disagree.
- Possible explanation, not established: an explanation that is offered but not established.
- Reflection from the editors: our interpretation, clearly marked as ours.
Every story carries a short evidence note: How we know, What is disputed and What we don’t know. A claim from one source is attributed to it and described as uncorroborated. Praise reports name who reported them and when; a reported miracle or revival is not presented as independently verified. “Pray” and “Rejoice with” are editorial sections, not ratings of how certain something is.
Dates
An issue shows its number and week, its publication date, the days it covers, its reporting cutoff with time zone, and whether it has been updated. Each source shows its publication date and, when known, the date of the event. An unknown date is shown as unknown. The date we read a page is never treated as the date something happened.
Time badges mark what kind of evidence a source is: Recent Annual Background Undated. Each has its own shape so the difference survives printing in black and white.
Assessments and statistics
An annual country assessment describes a whole country over a past reporting period. It does not measure this week’s events, and a national score is never given to a region, a congregation or a person. Annual persecution assessments, mission reach and religious freedom for people of all faiths are different measures; they are shown separately and never blended into one score. A country outside a list is not rated by that list. That does not mean Christians there face no pressure.
No assessment is published on this site yet. One appears only after its exact edition is approved for this use.
A statistic appears only with its unit, definition, geographic scope, source and research date, and only when we have permission for this use. Christian and evangelical affiliation overlap, so they are never drawn as slices of one pie. Figures from different research bodies are not averaged, joined into a trend or treated as confirming each other. Missing figures are shown as missing, never as zero.
Maps
Country shapes, names and codes come from Natural Earth, which is in the public domain, and are provisional until our publication catalog is supplied. Areas without their own country code are listed as areas, and no parent country’s rating is given to them. The map takes no position on any disputed boundary. Regional context is described in words on a country’s page; no subnational scores or risk boundaries are drawn.
Safety
We do not publish names, faces, exact places or other details that could expose vulnerable believers, converts or underground congregations, even when a source does.
Photos and downloads
Photos appear only with cleared rights, a caption, a credit and a text description, after a safety review; this version of the site shows none. Printable editions appear only once each exact file has been approved, with its paper size, page count and version listed beside it.
Rights
Some sources may be linked but not quoted or reproduced; their figures and text appear here only with permission for this use. Ministry links are for reference; no partnership or endorsement is implied.
Corrections
When we get something wrong, the issue is corrected and the correction is listed on that issue with its date. The issue’s update date and approved revision change with it, so a corrected page never silently replaces an earlier one.