Daily Zach Woods is a fan-run archive, but it is built to a reference standard. This page explains how we decide what goes in, how we cite it, and how we signal what we do and don’t know. For our stance on privacy, candids, and affiliation, see our policy page. For how to contribute and how to source and credit material, see how we source.
primary sources first
Wherever possible, entries rest on primary sources: the interview itself, the footage itself, the transcript itself, the original print appearance. Every catalog entry carries a datable citation. We do not treat a description or memory of footage as equivalent to the footage, and we do not treat a summary of an interview as equivalent to the interview. When we rely on a secondary source, we say so and name it.
what we do when we aren’t sure
Not everything can be confirmed, and we would rather show our uncertainty than hide it. Entries distinguish between what is confirmed by a source on record, what is inferred or probable but not directly attested, and what remains unverified. We flag inferences as inferences rather than letting them harden silently into fact. If a citation is still pending, the entry says so and waits; we do not fill the gap with a guess.
dates
A capture date is not a publish date, and we keep the two distinct. Where a date is inferred (from an upload, a press cycle, a surrounding event) we mark it as inferred rather than presenting it as established. Cross-page inferences, where one source is used to date or contextualize another, are flagged explicitly and never applied silently.
works versus influences
We distinguish a named work from a figure or author merely invoked. If Zach Woods names a book, a play, or a person, that is recorded as what it is: a reference he made. We do not upgrade an invoked name into a claim about what he has read, studied, or endorsed unless a source supports that stronger reading.
analysis versus record
Being able to find something is not the same as it belonging here. We archive sourced, attributable material, and we keep the documentary record separate from our own commentary. Analysis and opinion are welcome and clearly marked as ours; they are not passed off as part of the record.
corrections
We get things wrong, and we would rather fix them in the open than defend them. Corrections are welcomed and applied as soon as they are verified. First-hand knowledge and primary sources override our prior conclusions; if a better source surfaces, the entry changes. Spotted something? Reach us at hello@dailyzachwoods.com or send an ask.