MayaSkies.net is committed to publishing accurate, carefully sourced, and transparent educational information about Maya astronomy, calendars, mathematics, archaeology, architecture, writing, cosmology, archaeoastronomy, and digital heritage.
Research develops. Measurements improve. Archaeological interpretations change. New inscriptions are deciphered. Calendar calculations can contain implementation errors. Sources can be misunderstood, and editors can make mistakes.
When a material error is identified, our goal is not to defend the original wording simply because it has already been published.
Our goal is to correct the record.
This Corrections Policy explains how MayaSkies.net reviews reported errors, distinguishes corrections from ordinary updates, documents substantive changes, and handles errors involving articles, calculations, visualizations, citations, and historical interpretations.
Our Commitment to Accuracy
Accuracy is a continuing responsibility rather than a task that ends when an article is published.
MayaSkies.net may review previously published material when new evidence appears, a reader identifies a possible problem, a source is found to have been misunderstood, or an internal review discovers an error.
When credible evidence demonstrates that published information is materially incorrect, we aim to correct it.
Corrections are based on evidence rather than on pressure, popularity, disagreement alone, or whether an error is convenient to acknowledge.
The same standards apply whether an error was discovered by an editor, reader, researcher, institution, subject of an article, or automated quality-control process.
What Counts as a Correction
A correction is appropriate when previously published information was materially wrong at the time it was published or has been presented in a way that gives readers a materially inaccurate understanding.
Examples can include an incorrect historical date, misidentified archaeological structure, erroneous astronomical value, incorrect Maya calendar conversion, mistranslated term, mistaken attribution, citation that does not support the accompanying claim, incorrect numerical calculation, inaccurate description of scholarly consensus, or a statement that substantially misrepresents a source.
A correction may also be necessary when technically accurate wording creates a materially misleading impression because important context was omitted.
The seriousness of the correction depends on how much the error affects the reader’s understanding of the subject.
Minor Edits
Not every edit requires a correction notice.
Minor changes may be made without a formal notice when they do not alter the factual substance or conclusion of the page.
These can include fixing spelling, punctuation, grammar, formatting, broken internal links, typographical errors, inconsistent capitalization, or other presentation problems.
A correction notice is normally unnecessary when changing “Chichén Itza” to “Chichén Itzá,” for example, if the mistake did not create factual ambiguity.
Minor edits generally do not justify changing the visible publication date simply to make an article appear newly published.
Clarifications
A clarification differs from a factual correction.
A clarification may be added when the original statement was not strictly false but could reasonably be misunderstood, lacked important context, or expressed uncertainty inadequately.
For example, an article might correctly state that a building has been associated with an astronomical event but fail to explain that scholars disagree about whether the alignment was intentional.
In such a case, the text may be revised to clarify the evidence and the degree of scholarly agreement.
When the clarification substantially changes how readers should understand the earlier statement, an explanatory note may be added.
Substantive Corrections
A substantive correction is required when an error materially changes a factual statement, calculation, interpretation, attribution, or conclusion.
When practical, the incorrect text will be corrected directly in the article rather than left in place.
A correction note may then explain what was wrong and what was changed.
The purpose of the note is to make the correction understandable, not to conceal it behind vague language.
A useful correction should tell readers enough to understand the nature of the error without unnecessarily reproducing or amplifying incorrect information.
For example:
Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly described the Haab as a 360-day calendar. The Haab contains 18 periods of 20 days plus the five-day Wayeb period, producing a 365-day cycle. The article has been corrected.
The exact wording will depend on the circumstances.
Corrections to Archaeological Interpretations
Archaeological interpretation requires special care because disagreement does not automatically mean that one side contains an error.
An article does not require a correction merely because another scholar proposes a different interpretation.
Instead, MayaSkies.net considers whether the article accurately represented the available evidence and the state of scholarship at the time.
A correction may be appropriate if an article incorrectly described a disputed interpretation as established fact, substantially misrepresented another researcher’s argument, relied on measurements that were known to be incorrect, or omitted major contradictory evidence in a way that materially distorted the subject.
When new research changes the scholarly picture without demonstrating that the earlier reporting was erroneous, the article may instead receive an update.
New Research Versus Corrections
Research evolves, and not every change represents a previous mistake.
Suppose an article accurately summarized the best available archaeological interpretation in 2024, but new excavation results published in 2026 substantially alter that interpretation.
The earlier article was not necessarily wrong when written.
In that situation, MayaSkies.net may update the article to incorporate the new research and explain what changed.
Where useful, the page may include an update note such as:
Update: This section has been revised to incorporate archaeological research published after the original article.
We distinguish this type of update from a correction whenever reasonably possible.
Calendar and Calculator Corrections
Interactive tools require an additional layer of quality control because a programming error can affect many results.
If a material bug is discovered in a Maya calendar converter, Long Count calculator, Calendar Round tool, numeral converter, astronomical visualization, or similar resource, MayaSkies.net will attempt to determine the scope of the error.
The review may examine the algorithm, calendar correlation, mathematical assumptions, source data, boundary conditions, date handling, user input, and software implementation.
If the bug materially affected results, the tool should be corrected and its methodology reviewed.
When appropriate, a notice may identify which outputs were affected and whether calculations generated before the correction should be recomputed.
A software bug should not be described as an archaeological discovery or a change in Maya calendrical scholarship.
Likewise, a disagreement caused by two tools using different documented calendar correlations is not necessarily evidence that either tool contains a programming error.
Numerical and Astronomical Errors
Corrections involving calculations should identify whether the problem resulted from incorrect input data, mathematical implementation, unit conversion, calendar conversion, astronomical assumptions, or editorial transcription.
False precision should also be corrected when necessary.
For example, if archaeological measurements only justify an approximate orientation, the page should not imply that an astronomical alignment is known to a fraction of a degree merely because software can calculate that many decimal places.
When a numerical correction changes an important conclusion, the surrounding interpretation should also be reviewed rather than changing only the isolated number.
Sources, Citations, and Quotations
A citation is not considered adequate merely because it links to a reputable institution.
The cited material must actually support the claim for which it is being used.
If we discover that a source has been incorrectly interpreted, attributed to the wrong author, cited for a claim it does not support, or quoted inaccurately, the citation and associated text should be reviewed.
Replacing a broken URL with another location for the same source is usually a maintenance edit rather than a correction.
Replacing a source because the original source did not support the claim may require a correction if the unsupported claim materially affected the article.
Fabricated references, nonexistent publications, or quotations that cannot be verified are treated as serious errors.
Images, Captions, Maps, and Reconstructions
Corrections are not limited to prose.
A correction may be needed when a photograph identifies the wrong archaeological structure, a map places a site incorrectly, a diagram contains erroneous values, an illustration is described as archaeological evidence when it is actually a reconstruction, or a modern restoration is incorrectly presented as the ancient appearance of a structure.
Image credits and licensing information may also be corrected when an attribution problem is discovered.
If an AI-generated or artistically reconstructed image could reasonably be mistaken for documentary evidence, its labeling should be corrected or strengthened.
AI-Assisted Content
The use of artificial intelligence does not lower our correction standard.
If AI-assisted research, drafting, translation, coding, or data processing contributes to an error, the published information remains the responsibility of MayaSkies.net.
Claims cannot remain online merely because the incorrect information originated from an automated system rather than a human writer.
Potential AI-related errors that receive particular attention include invented publications, incorrect quotations, fabricated URLs, false attribution, mistranslation of technical terms, incorrect numerical output, and confident statements that are not supported by the cited research.
When an AI-related problem is discovered, the surrounding content may also be reviewed to determine whether the same workflow introduced additional errors.
Retractions
Retraction is reserved for circumstances where correcting individual passages would not adequately repair the publication.
A page may be removed or substantially retracted when its central premise is unsupported, a large portion contains fabricated or unreliable material, plagiarism materially compromises the work, the underlying data are invalid, or continuing to publish the page would seriously mislead readers.
When appropriate and legally permissible, MayaSkies.net may leave a notice explaining that the page was withdrawn and why.
Retraction is not used simply because an article receives criticism or discusses a controversial interpretation.
Article Dates and Revision Dates
MayaSkies.net may display an original publication date and a last-updated or modified date.
The original publication date should ordinarily remain associated with the article.
A meaningful dateModified or visible update date may be used when an article receives substantial revisions, such as new research, significant factual corrections, major new sections, or material changes to its conclusions.
Routine spelling corrections, link maintenance, formatting changes, or other minor edits should not normally be used to make old content appear newly published.
This distinction helps readers understand when substantive editorial work actually occurred.
Correction Notes
When a correction note is warranted, MayaSkies.net aims to make it understandable and reasonably visible.
Depending on the nature of the error, the note may appear near the corrected section or in a corrections/update area associated with the article.
A substantive correction note should normally explain what was incorrect, what the corrected information is, and when the change was made.
We do not intend to use vague phrases such as “this article has been updated” when readers reasonably need to know that an earlier version contained a material factual error.
At the same time, correction notices should not become unnecessarily defensive or argumentative.
The purpose is to clarify the record.
Preserving Transparency Without Preserving Errors
MayaSkies.net generally corrects the live article rather than leaving known misinformation visible solely for archival purposes.
The corrected version should become the primary version readers encounter.
Where the nature of a significant change requires historical transparency, an explanatory correction or update note can preserve that context.
We do not believe that maintaining an error in the main text is necessary in order to demonstrate transparency.
Reader-Submitted Corrections
Readers, researchers, educators, students, institutions, and members of Maya communities are encouraged to report possible errors.
The most useful correction submissions include:
- the URL of the affected page;
- the specific statement, calculation, caption, or tool output in question;
- a concise explanation of the suspected error;
- the proposed correction, when known; and
- a reliable source or evidence supporting the concern.
Corrections may be submitted through the Contact Us page.
Providing a source is strongly encouraged but is not an absolute requirement. A credible concern may warrant investigation even when the reader does not already possess the definitive source.
How Correction Requests Are Evaluated
Receiving a correction request does not automatically mean that the requested change will be made.
The editorial review may compare the claim against primary evidence, peer-reviewed scholarship, institutional sources, measurements, calendar methodology, or other relevant material.
Where specialists genuinely disagree, the correct response may be to clarify the disagreement rather than replace one defensible interpretation with another.
Correction requests based primarily on personal preference, unsourced claims, search-engine snippets, AI-generated answers, or demands to adopt a particular interpretation without supporting evidence may be declined.
The deciding consideration is the quality of the evidence.
Challenges From Authors, Institutions, or Subjects
Organizations or individuals discussed on MayaSkies.net may request corrections.
Such requests receive the same evidence-based review as requests from other readers.
Institutional authority does not automatically determine the outcome.
If an archaeological institution identifies a demonstrable factual error, that evidence will be taken seriously. If an organization merely disagrees with accurately reported criticism, scholarship, or historical evidence, a correction is not automatically required.
Editorial independence applies to the corrections process as well as to initial publication.
Cultural and Terminological Corrections
Language concerning Maya peoples, languages, identities, sacred traditions, and cultural practices deserves particular attention.
Terminology can evolve, and different communities may prefer different descriptions.
When a credible concern is raised about culturally inaccurate, outdated, overly generalized, or disrespectful terminology, MayaSkies.net will consider both relevant scholarship and, where appropriate, the perspectives of the communities concerned.
A terminology update does not necessarily mean the earlier version involved malicious intent.
The objective is to improve accuracy and respectful representation.
Corrections Across Related Pages
Some errors can affect more than one page.
For example, an incorrect calendar formula might appear in an article, calculator, FAQ, and diagram.
When a significant error is found, MayaSkies.net may search related content to determine whether the same problem appears elsewhere.
Correcting one page while knowingly leaving the same material error on several others would not adequately correct the record.
Search Results, Social Posts, and Cached Copies
Once information has been published, copies or excerpts may appear in search engines, browser caches, archives, social media, feeds, or third-party services.
MayaSkies.net can correct material under its direct control but cannot guarantee immediate removal of every external copy or snippet.
Where practical and proportionate to the seriousness of the error, related material controlled by MayaSkies.net may also be corrected.
The authoritative version is the current page published on MayaSkies.net.
Corrections Are Not Erasure of Legitimate Debate
Maya studies contain unresolved questions.
A corrections process should not be used to remove legitimate scholarly disagreement or convert uncertain interpretations into artificial certainty.
An article may therefore continue to discuss competing theories after a correction.
The important requirement is that readers can distinguish among evidence, interpretation, disagreement, and speculation.
Our Standard
When considering a potential correction, we ask:
Was the published information materially inaccurate?
What is the strongest available evidence?
Did we accurately represent the source?
Does the error affect the central conclusion or only a minor detail?
Would a reasonable reader understand the subject differently because of the error?
Should the change be classified as a minor edit, clarification, substantive correction, research update, or retraction?
Does the correction need to be disclosed publicly?
Are related pages or tools affected?
The objective is not to minimize the number of corrections published.
The objective is to minimize errors while being transparent when errors occur.
Submit a Correction
If you believe information on MayaSkies.net is incorrect, incomplete in a materially misleading way, improperly attributed, or based on a faulty calculation, please contact us through the Contact Us page.
Please identify the relevant page and provide supporting evidence whenever possible.
All credible correction requests may be reviewed regardless of whether they come from an academic researcher, student, educator, institution, Maya community member, or general reader.
A correction request does not guarantee a change, but evidence-based concerns are taken seriously.
Our Commitment
MayaSkies.net covers subjects where certainty varies.
Some facts are well established. Some interpretations are probable. Others remain debated, and occasionally new evidence changes what researchers thought they knew.
A trustworthy educational publication should be willing to reflect those changes.
We therefore regard corrections not as something to hide, but as part of responsible research and publishing.
When the evidence changes, the article should change with it.
Maya Skies
Reading the Sky, Time, and Architecture of the Maya.
Independent educational reference for Maya astronomy, calendars, archaeology, mathematics, and digital heritage.