The goal is not to collect more details. It is to keep every detail attached to the exact object and source that can support it.
00—05 / Select the object
Record museum, gallery, case, object title and visible identifier. Decide whether the museum treats the frame as one object, a group, fragment or reconstructed ensemble.
05—10 / Make the parent frame
Photograph or sketch whole object, base, label and current display where permitted. Every detail will link back to this context.
10—18 / Copy the label
Transcribe title, date, material, dimensions, provenance, accession and credit line exactly. Mark uncertain characters rather than guessing.
18—26 / Build the identifier link
Match the displayed number to the exact official record. Distinguish accession, excavation, publication figure and display number.
26—34 / Describe visible layers
Write surface, form, scale, mount, glass, light and unavailable views before interpretation. Use sourced material and condition claims only.
34—42 / Add one deeper source
Choose a catalogue, excavation publication or scholarly study that directly concerns the object. Record author, date, page or stable URL.
42—50 / Compare wording
Place label, museum record and deeper source in three columns. Preserve disagreements and explain whether they concern date, component, name or interpretation.
50—56 / Write the claim ladder
Separate visible fact, museum identification and wider interpretation. Confirm that stronger claims have matching exact sources.
56—60 / Preserve the dossier
Store filenames, creator, license, crop, date, source links, missing views and corrections. A portable record should survive a changed display.
Afterward / Audit the component boundary
Check whether lid, base, fragment, mount or associated figure has its own identifier or date. Do not let a complete-looking installation silently combine records that the catalogue keeps separate.
Afterward / Review the translation
Compare displayed language, transliteration and your paraphrase. Preserve uncertain readings and credit any translation source. A smoother English phrase should not erase the exact terminology needed to recover the object.
Afterward / Check reuse rights
Confirm creator, license, source record and the edits made to every image. Object ownership and image rights are separate questions, and a museum display does not automatically release a photograph for unrestricted reuse.
Afterward / Test the published crop
Inspect phone and desktop versions. Keep the identifier relation, case edge, base or label connection that carries the argument, and retain the uncropped parent frame.
Afterward / Version revisions
When a museum updates a title, date, attribution or location, add a dated note rather than silently replacing the earlier record. Revision history is part of evidence.
Afterward / Check the next reader
Ask whether someone who never saw the case can identify the exact object, recover the source and understand what was unavailable. Add the missing identifier, context frame or limit before adding more interpretation.