How I check
Where the facts on KOAlil come from, how I date them, and what I do when I cannot confirm something.
KOAlil is written by one person, and the only thing it has to offer is that the facts are right. This is how I try to keep them that way.
Official sources first
I take prices, rules and dates from the organisation that sets them, on its own page: the ministry, the city office, the railway company, the operator. Blogs and forums can point me to a question; they are never where a number comes from.
Read twice, linked in place
I read each figure against its source twice, and I link the source in the sentence that uses it, so you can check it yourself without scrolling to a list at the bottom.
Dated
Every article ends with the date I last checked it. On the section pages, that date appears as “Checked” next to each story.
Not confirmed yet
When an official page does not answer a question, I say so in a box labelled “Not confirmed yet” instead of guessing. Those boxes are a list of what to check before you rely on that part.
When things change
Dates that affect a trip go on the What’s changed page, with a countdown for the ones still ahead. When a rule or price changes, I update the article and say what changed at the top.
What I have not tried
If I have not done something myself, the article says so. My guide to regional rail passes, for example, says plainly that I have never used them.
Corrections
If something here is wrong or out of date, please tell me through the contact page. I fix confirmed errors and note the update in the article.
— ko, writing from Niigata