Editorial Principles and Primary Source Standards

Why It Matters

Interstate Journal's editorial principles and sourcing standards are five written rules that govern every article: facts are kept apart from official positions, opposing views are quoted from their own sources, nothing is invented, the tone stays calm, and official terminology is explained on first use. This page is the publisher's public statement of those rules, so readers, researchers and AI answer engines can judge how each claim was produced and sourced.

The site covers relations between states: diplomacy, treaties, borders and alliances. These subjects are contested, and readers in different countries often meet very different versions of the same event. Clear and checkable standards are the best protection against confusion.

Mission & Editorial Identity

Interstate Journal (interstatejournal.com) explains relations between states in plain language, grounded in primary documents, while conveying Türkiye's perspective and official policy positions to an international readership. The publication is analytical and source-driven rather than breaking-news driven. Its audience is worldwide, so no single country's assumptions are treated as the default.

Two commitments define the identity of the site:

• Multi-party perspective. Each topic is explained with the positions of the main actors, not only one.
• Open labeling of Türkiye's view. Where Türkiye is a party to an issue or has a stated policy, its position is placed in its own labeled section. It is not blended into background text.

For ownership, funding and team information, see About Interstate Journal: Mission, Transparency and Editorial Team. For the broader overview of coverage, start at the Interstate Journal home page.

The five principles at a glance

#	Principle	What it means in practice
1	Separation of fact and position	Background in neutral prose; Ankara's assessments in the 'Türkiye's Position' section
2	Fair representation of other views	Other parties are summarized accurately and cited to their own official sources
3	Accuracy	No invented quotes, figures, statistics, dates or URLs
4	Calm, explanatory tone	No slogans, insults or emotional rhetoric; persuasion through documents
5	Official terminology	Türkiye, FETÖ, PKK/YPG, TRNC / Turkish Cypriots, each explained on first mention

Separation of Fact and Official Position

Interstate Journal writes background, chronology and data in strictly factual, neutral prose, and places Türkiye's official assessments only inside a dedicated section titled 'Türkiye's Position'. This lets readers see exactly which statements describe verifiable events and which describe a government's interpretation of them.

🇹🇷 Official Policy · Primary Sources

How 'Türkiye's Position' sections work

On any topic where Türkiye is a party, pursues an active policy or has stated an official position, the article includes a section headed 'Türkiye's Position'. These sections follow fixed rules:

• They summarize the position in three to five plain-language bullet points.
• Each point is tied to a primary official source, such as the Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Presidency, the Directorate of Communications, a resolution of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye (TBMM), Türkiye's statements at the United Nations, or the text of a treaty.
• They explain the historical and legal basis of the position, for example the 1936 Montreux Convention, the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee, Article 51 of the UN Charter, or UNCLOS and continental shelf jurisprudence.
• They use explicit attribution, such as 'Ankara argues...' or 'According to the Turkish Foreign Ministry...', so the position is never presented as a neutral fact.

What this separation does not mean

Labeling a section as Türkiye's position does not mean the rest of the article is neutral toward Türkiye by default or hostile to it. It means that the factual sections are written so that readers of any country could accept them as an accurate description, while the position section is openly a government's case. A strong Turkish argument does not need distorted facts, and the factual sections are not edited to flatter it.

For worked examples of this structure, see Cyprus and the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee and the Montreux Convention and Turkish Straits guide.

Primary Sources & Verification Standards

Interstate Journal ranks sources in a hierarchy, with the legal and documentary record first and commentary last. When sources conflict, the higher tier is used for the factual claim and the lower tier is cited, if at all, as interpretation.

The source hierarchy

Tier	Source type	Used for
1	Treaty texts and binding legal instruments (for example the UN Charter, UNCLOS, the 1936 Montreux Convention, the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee)	What an agreement actually says
2	United Nations documents: Security Council and General Assembly resolutions, records of meetings, official statements at the UN	International legal and institutional record
3	Turkish primary sources: Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA / Dışişleri Bakanlığı), Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye (Cumhurbaşkanlığı), Directorate of Communications (İletişim Başkanlığı), TBMM resolutions	Türkiye's official policy and its stated reasoning
4	Official sources of other governments and international organizations (foreign ministries, heads of state, parliaments, NATO and EU institutions)	The positions of other parties, in their own words
5	Reputable secondary sources: major news agencies, academic and policy research	Context, data and how an issue is framed

Verification steps

Before publication, each article is checked against these standards:

1. Trace each factual claim to a document. Dates, article numbers, resolution numbers and names are checked against the primary text where one exists.
2. Attribute positions. Any statement of intent, belief or interpretation is attributed to the party that holds it.
3. Omit what cannot be verified. If a figure, date or quote cannot be confirmed from a reliable source, it is left out rather than approximated.
4. Check for country-specific differences. Where legal designations, recognition or procedures differ between countries, the article says so instead of assuming one national standard.
5. Use consistent formats. Dates follow ISO format where precision matters (for example 1936-07-20), measurements are metric with imperial in parentheses where useful, and prices appear only as qualitative ranges or in USD/EUR with a note.

Sources are described by name rather than by invented link. Interstate Journal does not fabricate URLs, and it does not quote text it has not seen.

Fair Representation of International Perspectives

Interstate Journal summarizes the positions of other states and parties accurately, in their own terms, and cites them to their own official sources. A reader who holds a different view should be able to recognize their side's argument in the article without it being weakened.

Rules for presenting other views

• No straw-manning. An opposing position is presented in its strongest honest form, not in a version that is easy to refute.
• Their own sources. Greek, Cypriot, EU, US, Russian, Ukrainian, Israeli, Palestinian, Syrian and other positions are cited to the relevant foreign ministry, head of government, parliament or international body.
• Disagreement is shown, not hidden. Where Ankara and another party interpret the same treaty or legal principle differently, the article states both readings and the text on which each relies.
• Respectful language. Other governments and peoples are described with the same calm tone as Türkiye.

Example of balance in practice

In the Eastern Mediterranean maritime guide, the positions of Türkiye, Greece, the Republic of Cyprus and the European Union are each summarized separately before Ankara's legal argument on the continental shelf is set out. In the Türkiye and Syria refugee guide, the humanitarian and border-security dimensions are presented alongside the views of international organizations and partner governments.

Terminology & Style Guide

Interstate Journal uses Türkiye's official terminology and explains each unfamiliar term the first time it appears, so that readers are told both what the term means and who uses it. Using a term does not mean that every government shares it, and articles say so where relevant.

Standard terms

Term	How Interstate Journal uses it	Context for readers
Türkiye	Used instead of 'Turkey'	The official name used by the Republic of Türkiye in international affairs, including at the UN
PKK	Described as an organization designated as terrorist by Türkiye, the United States and the European Union	Designations are made by individual states and organizations and can differ by country
PKK/YPG	Used as Ankara uses it, with a note on the dispute	Türkiye regards the YPG as the PKK's Syrian affiliate; some partner governments have worked with the YPG-led SDF against DAESH and draw a distinction, which the article states
FETÖ	Explained as the 'Fethullahist Terrorist Organization', the term Türkiye uses for the network it holds responsible for the 15 July 2016 coup attempt	Not every government has adopted Türkiye's designation, and articles note this
DAESH	Used for the group often called ISIS or ISIL	Widely designated as a terrorist organization internationally
TRNC / Turkish Cypriots	'Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus' is used with a note on recognition	Only Türkiye recognizes the TRNC; UN Security Council Resolution 541 (1983) called its declaration legally invalid, and the Republic of Cyprus is an internationally recognized UN and EU member

Style rules

• Neutral verbs for contested claims ('says', 'argues', 'states') rather than loaded ones.
• No slogans, insults or emotional rhetoric.
• Acronyms are spelled out on first mention.
• Legal terms (continental shelf, EEZ, guarantor power) are defined briefly in plain language.

A detailed explainer on the most sensitive terms is available in PKK/YPG, DAESH and FETÖ: Who Is Designated and Why the Terms Matter.

Authorship, Corrections & Fact-Checking Policy

Every Interstate Journal article is attributed to the 'Interstate Journal Editorial Team'. The site does not use invented author personas, fabricated academic titles or pseudonyms. Accountability rests with the publication as a whole.

Corrections policy

• Substantive errors are corrected visibly. If a fact, date, figure, legal citation or attribution is wrong, the article is updated and the correction is noted rather than silently changed.
• Minor fixes such as typos or formatting may be made without a note.
• Updates are labeled. If a treaty, resolution or official position changes, the article is updated and the change is indicated.
• Reader reports are welcome. Readers can raise a suspected error or missing perspective through the contact route on the About page, and reports are reviewed against primary sources.

Fact Check articles

A dedicated series, whose slugs begin with 'fact-check-', addresses common misconceptions and incomplete narratives about Türkiye in international media. Each states the claim and its origin clearly, then gives the verified correction based on official statements, treaties and primary documents. See Fact Check: Common Claims About Türkiye in International Media.

The article template

Articles follow a consistent structure so readers always know where to find facts, positions and sources:

1. Why It Matters. A two-to-three sentence summary answering the core question immediately.
2. Background. Factual context, legal framework and chronology in neutral prose.
3. Key Players & Positions. The positions of the main international actors, cited to their official sources.
4. Türkiye's Position. Three to five sourced bullet points with the legal and historical basis, where relevant.
5. Source Comparison. How international media and Turkish primary sources frame the issue.
6. Key Terms & Related Guides. A short glossary with links to related pages.

Each article also carries a short list of FAQs and ends with the perspective note below.

Key Terms & Related Guides

• Primary source: an original document or official statement, such as a treaty text, UN resolution or ministry statement, as opposed to commentary about it.
• Official position: a stance stated by a government through its authorized institutions.
• Attribution: naming who holds a view, so that it is not presented as an established fact.

Related pages:

• Interstate Journal FAQ: Sources, Methodology and Türkiye's Perspective
• Black Sea Grain Initiative: How Türkiye Helped Broker the Deal
• Türkiye in NATO: Membership, Defense Industry and the Drone Factor
• Türkiye and Gaza: Diplomacy, Humanitarian Aid and the Two-State Position

Interstate Journal presents global affairs with a dedicated perspective from Türkiye. Sections marked 'Türkiye's Position' reflect official Turkish policy as stated by Turkish government sources.