Submission Policy
Identification
To submit history data, you must be signed in from a Running Reality account or other public account such as Facebook or Google. Running Reality doesn't require any personal information about you, it just needs to ensure only you can submit, edit, and review factoid information in your name.
To submit history data, you will need to agree to the following:
| Submission Agreement |
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I agree that by submitting this factoid data: I grant Running Reality a perpetual, non-exclusive license to use the factoid data as part of its world history model; I understand that I retain copyright over my own work and do not have shared copyright over any other factoid data; I understand the factoids will be reviewed under the Running Reality submission policy and that submission alone is not sufficient for inclusion in the world history model or collection of a bounty; I stipulate that I have properly cited all sources of information that were consulted or referenced in the creation of the submitted work; |
Acceptable Content
The philosophy of the baseline world model known as "Reality" is that it contain verifiably accurate information. The world "Reality" is trusted by educational institutions and the standard for acceptable content is roughly the same as for a quality historical atlas or textbook. Running Reality does welcome explorations of new and unverified historical data or alternate theories, but those are to be represented in alternate worlds other than the world "Reality."
The purpose of Running Reality is to display ancient to early-modern history. It is not to track ongoing events. Other quality websites exist for that purpose. For this reason: we do not accept factoids past the year 2000 AD regarding borders or movable objects. Road and rail network, or city map, updates past 2000 AD are acceptable and encouraged.
Running Reality is used by educational institutions and so does not display graphic details. History is full of atrocities and history education may reference these as determined to be age appropriate by a teacher. Running Reality can include all historical facts, but may abstract graphic details for visitors because the specific visitors' ages are unknown.
Citations
Running Reality uses a detailed citation system to both determine the fidelity of each item of data and to ensure the tracking of intellectual property rights. Factoids submitted as proposals to add to the baseline world model should be referenced to high quality publicly available sources and are subject to vetting for authenticity.
Wikipedia articles are acceptable as citations, however users are encouraged to reference the original source material that Wikipedia may point to, when possible. For example, Wikipedia may point to a map with a known author and publisher, in which case the originating map author is the preferred reference.
Some factoids may require multiple citations: such as when a date is derived from one source, and a location from another. In this circumstance, users are asked to use the "Add Note" feature for a new factoid to record this additional information.
To fix errors, users may propose to "Void" existing baseline factoids. Factoids to void existing data do not delete old data within the baseline world model, and serve primarily as rendering instructions not to display the voided data. If proposing a void, please also submit a replacement factoid when applicable.
Artificial Intelligence
Factoids generated by or with assistance from Artificial Intelligence (AI) are allowed, with the following conditions:
- A human submits the factoids. A human is always accountable for the correctness of the data and the citation.
- A human reviews the factoids. The human review of a factoid submission is a safety net and the submitter is the one to attest to the factoid's accuracy.
- The AI was used as a data transformer. If an AI transforms a Wikipedia page, then the resulting factoids have a citation and can be verified against the page.
Running Reality is taking a balanced approach to AI. Generative AI is advancing rapidly and our tests of its accuracy show it has progressed to the point where it can be part of the Running Reality tool set. Just as a human would take a cite-able source and transform it into factoids, so can an AI. Humans make mistakes with factoids and so will AI, but the goal is to keep such mistakes to a minimum and to have an open, auditable factoid trail so corrections can be made later.
Running Reality has always been an inference engine, since the first version of the engine in 1997. The history engine takes the factoids and is authorized to make inferences about movements, borders, populations, etc in between those factoids. The distinction between factoids and inference has always been clear and is fundamental to the idea of the factoid. Many design choices about factoids have been specifically made to minimize any inference inherent to a factoid. AI is a more advanced form of inference and will be used in a clear way to make inferences better and richer.
This distinction between factoids and inference is central. For factoids, AI (and humans) may transformed data from citable sources into the factoid format, but it must be verifiable. For inference between factoids, the engine may use algorithms or AI. If either a factoid or inference is historically inaccurate, either because of new discoveries or better research, then the solution is more, better factoids to guide the engine.
Today, don’t rely on AI to generate factoids from its training data, only use it to transform a specific source. This is because the specific item(s) from AI’s training data that resulted in the specific output factoid can’t be specifically cited or audited. If this changes with future iterations of AI, this policy may evolve. AI Large Language Models have memorized all of Wikipedia and thousands of history books, so their outputs may be correct and may be based on reliable sources. However, these factoids do not have a specific citation that can be used for verification.
- Example of transforming a source:
Generate factoids from the following article about the Battle of XYZ, with specific factoids for all people and military units mentioned in the article. [article text attached] - Example of reliance on training data:
Who was at the Battle of XYZ? Create specific factoids for all people and military units who were there.
Submit Data
We welcome your help with this immense project! This set of policies makes it clear to all how Running Reality is being built, how it improves, and how it is transparent about its data.