Fact-Checking and Evidence

Date and Timeline Check

Reconcile dates, event order, deadlines, durations, time zones, publication cutoffs, historical context, and relative-time language throughout a draft.

Free editable Markdown · Fact-checkers, editors, and researchers · Updated July 30, 2026

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Timeline event

Event ID: [Stable identifier]
Event description: [What happened]
Original date and time: [As source states]
Precision: [Exact, day, month, year, approximate, or disputed]
Timestamp meaning: [Occurred, recorded, published, updated, or effective]
Original time zone or calendar: [Name and UTC offset if known]
Source ID and location: [Direct evidence]
Converted display: [Publication format and zone]
Draft locations: [Body, chart, caption, metadata, or other]

Sequence and deadline review

Previous event: [ID and time]
Next event: [ID and time]
Calculated duration: [Formula and result]
Claimed duration: [Draft wording]
Causal claim: [Does order permit the stated relationship?]
Deadline rule: [Inclusive, business days, holidays, or policy]
Uncertainty: [Missing, estimated, or conflicting detail]
Resolution: [Correct, qualify, seek source, or remove]

Publication checks

Event time is distinguished from publication and entry time.
Time zones, daylight-saving rules, and conversions are documented.
Durations were independently recalculated.
Deadlines define inclusive boundaries and applicable day rules.
Relative terms are replaced where they would age poorly.
Chronology does not imply unsupported causation.
Headline, body, charts, captions, metadata, and schema agree.
Time-sensitive status has an owner and last-checked date.

How to use this template

Extract every explicit and implied time reference from the draft and its supporting assets.
Record the event, source, original value, precision, calendar, time zone, and timestamp meaning.
Sort events, recalculate durations, and investigate gaps, overlaps, and causal-order problems.
Replace ambiguous relative language and document conversions, deadlines, and disputed dates.
Cross-check all publication surfaces and approve the updated narrative, not just isolated dates.

Build the sequence before polishing prose

Extract every date, time, duration, deadline, age, and relative reference into one ordered list. Record what happened, the source, precision, location, and whether the time describes occurrence, publication, entry, or update. A document posted on Tuesday may describe an event from Monday; a database timestamp may reflect processing rather than the real-world action. Mark estimated, disputed, and partial dates explicitly. Once ordered, look for impossible overlaps, unexplained gaps, and events described as causes that actually occurred after the claimed effect.

Normalize calendars, zones, and boundaries

Use ISO-style dates in working notes, then apply the publication's reader-facing style. Preserve original local time and record any conversion, daylight-saving status, and source zone. Clarify whether a deadline is inclusive, whether “midnight” means the start or end of a date, and whether business days exclude holidays. Historical dates may use different calendars or retrospective labels; do not silently modernize them. Durations should be recalculated from the actual boundaries rather than repeated from a secondary summary.

Replace unstable relative language

Words such as “today,” “last month,” “recently,” “currently,” and “next year” become unclear as pages age or travel across time zones. Replace them with an exact date or bounded period when the timing matters. If current status is important, include a “last checked” date and an update owner. Review headlines, captions, charts, alt text, structured data, metadata, and scheduled posts, not only the article body. A corrected date may require revising the sequence, interpretation, or claim of cause.

See the fields in context

Fictional example: regional art grant schedule

The Marshlight Arts Fund and every date are invented; this is not a real deadline notice.

Source wording: Fictional applications close “at midnight on 3 October” without a zone.
Gap: The phrase could mean the start or end of the date and is unusable for a deadline claim.
Primary check: The invented program owner confirms 23:59 on 2026-10-03 in Africa/Cairo.
Publication wording: “Submit by 23:59 Africa/Cairo time on 3 October 2026,” with readers directed to the fictional official notice.
Update control: The editor rechecks the official notice before a scheduled reminder is published.

Frequently asked questions

Is an access date the same as a publication date?

No. An access date records when the researcher viewed a source. Use the source's publication or update date separately when available.

How should “midnight” be written?

Avoid it for consequential deadlines. State a precise time, date, time zone, and whether the boundary is inclusive.

Can chronology prove causation?

No. A cause must precede an effect, but correct order alone does not rule out alternative explanations or establish a causal mechanism.

What if reliable sources disagree on a historical date?

Check calendars, source proximity, and later corrections. Present the meaningful dispute or appropriate range rather than manufacturing false precision.