1. User Guide

Welcome to the World Historical Gazetteer v4 User Guide. This guide covers all aspects of using the WHG platform, from basic searches to advanced contribution workflows.

1.1. Note to Documentation Team

This is the main landing page for the User Guide. Consider adding:

• A brief overview of what WHG is and its core value proposition

• Who should use this guide (researchers, data contributors, developers)

• A visual flowchart showing common user pathways

• Links to quick-start tutorials vs comprehensive documentation

• Version notes explaining what’s new in v4

All pages listed in the toctree below should be created. Any topics not yet covered by the generated files will need to be drafted by the documentation team.

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Getting Started

• 1.1.1. Quick Start Guide
  • 1.1.1.1. Note to Documentation Team
  • 1.1.1.2. What is the World Historical Gazetteer?
  • 1.1.1.3. Three Minute Tour
  • 1.1.1.4. Common User Pathways
  • 1.1.1.5. Core Concepts (5 Minute Read)
  • 1.1.1.6. Next Steps
  • 1.1.1.7. Getting Help
• 1.1.2. Understanding WHG Concepts
  • 1.1.2.1. Note to Documentation Team
  • 1.1.2.2. Overview
  • 1.1.2.3. Core Entities
  • 1.1.2.4. The Attestation Model

Place Records

• 1.1.3. Place Record Anatomy
  • 1.1.3.1. Note to Documentation Team
  • 1.1.3.2. Overview
  • 1.1.3.3. Record Sections
  • 1.1.3.4. 1. Header Section
  • 1.1.3.5. 2. Names Tab
  • 1.1.3.6. 3. Locations Tab
  • 1.1.3.7. 4. Temporal Tab
  • 1.1.3.8. 5. Types & Classifications Tab
  • 1.1.3.9. 6. Relations Tab
  • 1.1.3.10. 7. Attestations Tab
  • 1.1.3.11. 8. Provenance Tab
  • 1.1.3.12. Reading a Record: Worked Example
  • 1.1.3.13. Understanding Record Quality
  • 1.1.3.14. Navigating Complex Records
  • 1.1.3.15. Mobile vs Desktop View
  • 1.1.3.16. Accessibility Features
  • 1.1.3.17. Next Steps

Contributing Data

• 1.1.4. Contributing Data Overview
  • 1.1.4.1. Note to Documentation Team
  • 1.1.4.2. Why Contribute to WHG?
  • 1.1.4.3. What Can You Contribute?
  • 1.1.4.4. Contribution Pathways
  • 1.1.4.5. Contribution Requirements
  • 1.1.4.6. Data Licensing
  • 1.1.4.7. Quality Standards
  • 1.1.4.8. The Contribution Process (Step-by-Step)
  • 1.1.4.9. Getting Help
  • 1.1.4.10. Recognition & Citation
  • 1.1.4.11. Examples of Contributions
  • 1.1.4.12. Next Steps

Reconciliation & Linking

• 1.1.5. Reconciliation Overview
  • 1.1.5.1. Note to Documentation Team
  • 1.1.5.2. What is Reconciliation?
  • 1.1.5.3. Reconciliation in Practice
  • 1.1.5.4. The Reconciliation Workflow
  • 1.1.5.5. Reconciliation Strategies
  • 1.1.5.6. What Makes a Good Match?
  • 1.1.5.7. Handling Ambiguous Cases
  • 1.1.5.8. Tools for Reconciliation
  • 1.1.5.9. Reconciliation Best Practices
  • 1.1.5.10. Common Pitfalls
  • 1.1.5.11. Measuring Reconciliation Success
  • 1.1.5.12. Getting Help with Reconciliation
  • 1.1.5.13. Next Steps

Tutorials

• 1.1.6. Tutorial: Creating a Historical Route
  • 1.1.6.1. Note to Documentation Team
  • 1.1.6.2. Tutorial Overview
  • 1.1.6.3. Step 1: Understanding Your Route (5 minutes)
  • 1.1.6.4. Step 2: Preparing Your Data (15 minutes)
  • 1.1.6.5. Step 3: Upload to WHG (10 minutes)
  • 1.1.6.6. Step 4: Review and Map Columns (5 minutes)
  • 1.1.6.7. Step 5: Reconciliation (15 minutes)
  • 1.1.6.8. Step 6: Enhance Your Contribution (10 minutes)
  • 1.1.6.9. Step 7: Set Certainty Levels (5 minutes)
  • 1.1.6.10. Step 8: Preview and Submit (5 minutes)
  • 1.1.6.11. Step 9: After Submission
  • 1.1.6.12. Step 10: Explore Your Published Route (After Approval)
  • 1.1.6.13. Next Steps: Level Up Your Skills
  • 1.1.6.14. Troubleshooting
  • 1.1.6.15. Congratulations!
  • 1.1.6.16. Resources

Troubleshooting & FAQ

• 1.1.7. Frequently Asked Questions
  • 1.1.7.1. Note to Documentation Team
  • 1.1.7.2. General Questions
  • 1.1.7.3. Searching Questions
  • 1.1.7.4. Contributing Data Questions
  • 1.1.7.5. Technical Questions
  • 1.1.7.6. Data Model Questions
  • 1.1.7.7. Account & Access Questions
  • 1.1.7.8. Troubleshooting Questions
  • 1.1.7.9. Community & Support Questions

Reference

• 1.1.8. Glossary
  • 1.1.8.1. Note to Documentation Team
  • 1.1.8.2. A
  • 1.1.8.3. B
  • 1.1.8.4. C
  • 1.1.8.5. D
  • 1.1.8.6. E
  • 1.1.8.7. F
  • 1.1.8.8. G
  • 1.1.8.9. H
  • 1.1.8.10. I
  • 1.1.8.11. K
  • 1.1.8.12. L
  • 1.1.8.13. M
  • 1.1.8.14. N
  • 1.1.8.15. O
  • 1.1.8.16. P
  • 1.1.8.17. R
  • 1.1.8.18. S
  • 1.1.8.19. T
  • 1.1.8.20. U
  • 1.1.8.21. V
  • 1.1.8.22. W
  • 1.1.8.23. Related Terminology
  • 1.1.8.24. Abbreviations
  • 1.1.8.25. See Also

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1.2. Getting Help

• Contact Support: [email address]

• Community Forum: [link to forum]

• GitHub Issues: [link to repository]

• Developer Documentation: See [link to Developer Guide]