Editorial methodology
How we follow the evidence
HowConnected combines live graph exploration with a smaller, carefully reviewed collection. Here is what that distinction means and how we keep published claims accountable.
Where relationships come from
HowConnected uses structured statements from Wikidata. Each statement joins two entities through a named property—such as “founded by,” “creator,” or “crew member.” Links beside a result lead back to the relevant entities and property so you can inspect the source record yourself.
How live paths are found and ranked
A live search looks for short paths between the two entities a visitor chooses. Candidate paths are ranked for clarity and usefulness, favoring specific, understandable relationships over noisy graph shortcuts. Live results can change as Wikidata changes and are not automatically editorially verified or indexable.
Reviewed editorial connections
Pages marked “Reviewed connection” render from a committed snapshot rather than a live database query. Before approval, we check the exact Wikidata identifiers, properties, direction, wording, evidence, and material qualifiers. The page shows its last-reviewed date and links to both the structured statement and an authoritative contextual source.
Dates, roles, and historical qualifiers
Qualifiers can completely change a claim. Start and end dates distinguish a past team membership from a current one; a role can explain how someone participated; historical locations should not be presented as present-day locations. When a qualifier materially affects meaning, we preserve it in the snapshot and visible explanation.
Why some pages are withheld
A path may be plausible but still be ambiguous, stale, weakly sourced, or easy to misread. Those pairs remain noindex until review is complete. Arbitrary live-search URLs are also noindex: a successful graph search is not the same thing as editorial verification. Only approved canonical orientations appear in Explore or the sitemap.
Corrections and feedback
Knowledge graphs evolve, and we can make mistakes. If a relationship, date, role, direction, or source looks wrong, please report the issue and include the connection URL. We can re-review, correct, or withhold the page without changing the live discovery engine.
Put the method into practice
Browse the reviewed collection to read evidence-backed paths, play The Missing Link to reveal one verified connection at a time, or choose two entities for a live graph search. Live results remain separate from pages that have completed editorial review.