Accuracy First
Every factual claim on this site is expected to be traceable to a primary or authoritative secondary source. Where we cannot verify a fact, we do not publish it. Where a fact is uncertain or contested among legitimate sources, we say so explicitly rather than presenting one version as settled.
This standard exists because the audience this site serves — practicing Masons, prospective Masons, traveling Brothers, and researchers — will notice errors immediately, and a reputation for accuracy is more valuable than any SEO gain from publishing confident-sounding content we have not verified.
How We Determine Recognition Status
Recognition status is the most important factual determination on every page. We use the following sources, in order of authority:
- The United Grand Lodge of England's published recognition list — the most widely used international standard for Masonic regularity. A grand lodge either appears on this list or it does not; there is no gray area in our treatment of it.
- COGMNA (Conference of Grand Masters of Masons in North America) — used for cross-referencing US and Canadian recognition data.
- Individual grand lodge amity lists — where publicly available, used to confirm the specific status of inter-jurisdictional recognition between mainstream and Prince Hall grand lodges.
We do not rely on secondary Masonic websites, forum posts, or Wikipedia for recognition status determinations. If a recognition claim cannot be traced back to one of the sources above, it does not appear on this site.
What We Cover
We cover jurisdictions where at least one Masonic grand lodge meeting UGLE's recognition standard operates. We cover both mainstream and Prince Hall Affiliated grand lodges where both are present. We cover UGLE overseas districts and lodges operating under recognized foreign grand lodges where those are the relevant structure for a jurisdiction.
We do not cover irregular or clandestine Masonic bodies. Where their existence is materially relevant to a jurisdiction's Masonic landscape, we note them factually and clearly as unrecognized. We do not link to them.
Prince Hall Coverage
Prince Hall Affiliated grand lodges receive equal editorial treatment on every page where they are present. The same depth of research, the same source standards, and the same editorial space apply to PHA sections as to mainstream grand lodge sections. This is not a policy accommodation — it is what the history of American Freemasonry requires.
Our Sources
For each page, we document the sources used in a Sources & References block at the foot of the content. Primary sources — the grand lodge's own official website, the UGLE recognition list, COGMNA data — are cited by preference. Established Masonic research bodies (the Philalethes Society, the Scottish Rite Research Society, the Masonic Library and Museum of Pennsylvania, Pietre-Stones Review of Freemasonry, and similar organizations) are used for historical context. Academic and mainstream historical scholarship is used where applicable.
Wikipedia is never used as a primary source. Where Wikipedia leads us to a primary source, we cite the primary source directly.
All outbound links to authoritative sources are followed links. We deliberately pass authority signals to UGLE, official grand lodges, established Masonic libraries, and academic journals.
What We Do Not Cover
- Current officers and grand line positions. These change annually and require constant maintenance. We link to official grand lodge websites where current officer information is maintained.
- Lodge-level directories. Phase 1 focuses on jurisdiction-level coverage. Lodge directories are a Phase 3 consideration, and only in jurisdictions where grand lodges support that kind of data sharing.
- Ritual or degree content. We describe Masonic structure and history. We do not disclose degree content beyond what is already a matter of publicly available mainstream scholarship.
- Internal Masonic politics. We do not speculate about internal grand lodge disputes, contested recognition situations, or jurisdictional conflicts. Where such matters are materially relevant to a page, we describe them with sourced facts only.
How We Handle Corrections
We make mistakes. Founding dates are contested by legitimate sources. Grand lodge websites go offline. Recognition statuses change. We want to know when something is wrong.
Corrections submitted through our Submit a Correction page are reviewed against the primary sources cited on the page. Corrections supported by a primary source — the grand lodge's own website, the UGLE list, an established Masonic archive — are applied. Corrections based on personal knowledge without a verifiable source are noted for further research but not automatically applied. We do not make changes based on pressure, volume of submissions, or a submitter's claimed authority.
When a significant correction is applied, we update the Sources & References block on the relevant page to reflect the corrected information.
Maintenance Schedule
The site is designed to require minimal ongoing maintenance. We review UGLE's published recognition list annually for changes. We audit key outbound links — grand lodge official websites in particular — on a rolling basis. Recognition status changes, grand lodge name changes, and known URL changes are applied as they are identified.
Content that would require constant maintenance — current officers, event listings, membership counts — is deliberately excluded from the site's scope.