Sheet reference

Where this page fits

This is the column-by-column reference for temPlato, PLATO’s spreadsheet template. If you are new to it, start with Organising data in spreadsheets, which explains the ten sheets and the rules that apply to all of them, and where to download the template.

Spreadsheets are one of several formats that comply with PLATO. The same data can be written as PLATO JSON or as linked data (RDF), and PLATO tools converts between them, and to and from Linked Places Format.

Every column of every sheet: whether it is needed, what to put in it, an example, and the values it accepts. This page is generated from the table definitions, so it always matches them.

In every sheet except about, places, sources and identities, each row becomes one PLATO attestation, and these columns are shared: place_id, date, from, to, source_id, locator, attribution, citation_function, certainty, certainty_level, denied, stance and notes.

about

One row describing the dataset as a whole: its title, who made it, its licence, what it covers, and the base of its web addresses. It is what makes the dataset findable and citable (the FAIR principles). Exactly one row. Only the title is required, and the licence too once status is ‘published’. The creator_name column is deprecated: names go in creator, which takes a name, a web address, or a name with its address.

Column	Needed?	What to put	Example	Values
title	required	The dataset’s title.	Place-names of Bunsty Hundred
description	optional	What the dataset is, in a sentence or two: where it comes from and what it covers. Optional.
creator	optional	The people or organisations to cite as its authors, separated by ‘;’. Write each as a name and its web address together, the address in angle brackets (Josiah Carberry <https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1825-0097>), or as a web address alone, or as a name alone. Optional; give an ORCID where you can. In the tables each author is recorded as text, as written; converting with PLATO tools turns the address into a link and gives it the name.	Stephen Gadd <https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3060-0181>	A name, a web address, or a name then its address in angle brackets; several allowed, separated by ;
creator_name	optional	Deprecated: write these names in creator instead, which now takes a name alone as well as a name with its address. The names of authors who have no web address, separated by ‘;’. Optional. Kept for one release, and to be withdrawn after it.	Anne Annotator	several allowed, separated by ;
contributor	optional	The web address of the person or organisation that owns or maintains the dataset, if not its author. Optional.		A web address
licence	optional	The web address of the dataset’s licence, such as https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. Required once status is ‘published’.	https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/	A web address
version	optional	The dataset’s version, in any form you use: ‘1.2’, ‘2026-09’. Optional.	1.0
status	optional	‘draft’ while it may still change, or ‘published’ once others may cite it. Once published, its evidence is only ever added to, never changed. Optional.	draft	One of: draft, published
keywords	optional	Words a catalogue can find it by, separated by ‘;’. Optional.	place-names;Buckinghamshire	several allowed, separated by ;
spatial	optional	The area it covers, as web addresses (a Wikidata or GeoNames region), separated by ‘;’. Optional. In the tables these are recorded as web addresses in text form; converting with PLATO tools turns them into links.	http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q21	A web address; several allowed, separated by ;
temporal_from	optional	The earliest year or date the dataset covers, with at least four digits. Optional.	0921	Year of at least four digits, or YYYY-MM-DD
temporal_to	optional	The latest year or date it covers, in the same form. Optional.	1346	Year of at least four digits, or YYYY-MM-DD
landing_page	optional	The web page where people find and download the dataset. Optional.		A web address
dataset_uri	optional	The dataset’s own permanent web address, if it has one: the address that names the dataset itself when it is converted. Optional; if it is empty, the dataset is named by the base of its addresses (base_uri).		A web address
base_uri	optional	The base of the web addresses of the dataset’s places and sources, such as https://w3id.org/my-project/: choose one you control and will keep. Each place’s address is this base, then place/, then its place_id (https://w3id.org/my-project/place/bristol), and each source’s is the base, then source/, then its source_id. Use only letters, digits and - . _ ~ in the identifiers, or they are percent-encoded in the address. A base given when converting (in PLATO tools, ‘Web address for your identifiers’) is used instead of this one. Optional, but give it before publishing: without it the addresses are not permanent.	https://w3id.org/my-project/	A web address

places

One row per place, or other spatial entity, that your data is about: a settlement, a region, a river, a road, an administrative unit. Each row becomes a plato:SpatialEntity. Everything else about a place (its names, locations, types) goes in the other sheets, where it can carry a date and a source.

Column	Needed?	What to put	Example	Values
place_id	required	A short identifier for the place, unique in this sheet. Use letters, digits and - . _ ~ only (‘bristol’, ‘p1’): any other character is percent-encoded in the place’s web address. The other sheets use it to refer to this row. It is also kept in the data as the place’s identifier, so a record can be traced back to your row, and it ends the place’s web address: the about sheet’s base_uri, then place/, then this (https://w3id.org/my-project/place/bristol), or the base given when converting, if one is. So keep it once the dataset is published.	bristol
label	required	The name you want the place to be listed under. This is a display label only: the names the place has in your sources go in the names sheet.	Bristol
country_codes	optional	Two-letter ISO codes of the modern countries whose territory contains or overlaps the place, separated by ‘;’. A finding aid for search and matching, not evidence. Optional.	GB	several allowed, separated by ;

sources

One row per source you cite: a document, a map, a book, a dataset. Each row becomes a plato:Source. Every row in the attestation sheets names one of these in its source_id column.

Column	Needed?	What to put	Example	Values
source_id	required	A short identifier for the source, unique in this sheet (‘domesday’, ‘s1’), in letters, digits and - . _ ~ only: any other character is percent-encoded in the address. It ends the source’s web address: the about sheet’s base_uri (or the base given when converting), then source/, then this (https://w3id.org/my-project/source/domesday). So keep it once the dataset is published.	domesday
title	required	A short title for the source, as you would refer to it (‘Domesday Book’).	Domesday Book
citation	optional	A full bibliographic citation, in any style. Optional.	Domesday Book, ed. A. Farley (London, 1783)
uri	optional	A web address for the source, if it has one. Optional.	https://example.org/domesday	A web address
date	required	When the source itself was made: written, copied, printed or published, as the source or catalogue gives it. Write ‘undated’ if unknown. Required.	1086
from	optional	Earliest year or date the source can have been made, with at least four digits, or YYYY-MM-DD. Optional.	1086	Year of at least four digits, or YYYY-MM-DD
to	optional	Latest year or date the source can have been made. Optional.	1087	Year of at least four digits, or YYYY-MM-DD
derived_from	optional	If this source is a copy, transcript or edition of another source in this sheet, that source’s source_id. Optional.	asc-annal-921
licence	optional	The web address of the licence of the source as you cite it (the edition or copy), for example https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. Optional.	https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/	A web address

names

One row for each time a source gives a name for a place. Each row becomes a plato:Attestation of one plato:Name, with its date and source.

Column	Needed?	What to put	Example	Values
place_id	required	The place this row is about: a place_id from the places sheet.	bristol
name	required	The name, spelt exactly as the source gives it.	Bristowe
language	optional	The language of the name, as a language code (‘en’, ‘la’, ‘enm’ for Middle English). Optional.	enm
script	optional	The writing system, as a four-letter code (‘Latn’, ‘Arab’, ‘Grek’). Optional.	Latn
romanized	optional	The name in Latin letters, if the source uses another script. Optional.	Konstantinoupolis
name_type	optional	What the name names, if not a place: ‘toponym’ (the default), ‘hydronym’ (a river or lake), ‘odonym’ (a street), ‘ethnonym’, ‘demonym’, ‘chrononym’. Several may be separated by ‘;’. Optional.	hydronym	several allowed, separated by ;
form_status	optional	What kind of form this is: ‘Attested’ (read in the source; the default), ‘Headword’ (the form an editor files the entry under), ‘Normalised’ (a spelling made up for searching), ‘Reconstructed’ (inferred, not found), ‘Preferred’ (the form your project prefers for display and search, which the source may not show), ‘Editorial’ (written by the editors of the edition you cite, in their commentary or notes, not in the text they edit). Leave empty for an ordinary reading.	Headword	One of: Attested, Headword, Normalised, Reconstructed, Preferred, Editorial
occurrence_context	optional	How the name occurs: ‘InPersonalName’ if it appears only inside a person’s name (‘Willelmus de Bonestou’), ‘InFieldName’ if only inside a later minor name. Leave empty for an ordinary mention.	InPersonalName	One of: Direct, InPersonalName, InFieldName
occurrence_count	optional	How many times the name occurs in the passage cited, if more than once. Optional.	3	A whole number
transcription_accuracy	optional	How faithfully the name renders what the source shows: ‘Accurate’, ‘Inaccurate’ (misread), or ‘False’ (a ghost form not in the source). Optional.	Inaccurate	One of: Accurate, Inaccurate, False
transcription_completeness	optional	Whether the name is whole: ‘Complete’, ‘Reconstructable’ (part lost, but it can be supplied), or ‘NonReconstructable’. Optional.	Reconstructable	One of: Complete, Reconstructable, NonReconstructable
date	required	The date as your source gives it, in any form: ‘1086’, ‘c. 925’, ‘1480-1485’, ‘a. 1300’. Write ‘undated’ if the source gives no date. Required on every row.	1086
from	optional	Earliest year or date the row can refer to, with at least four digits (0921, not 921; -12000 for 12,000 BCE) or YYYY-MM-DD. Optional; leave empty if you cannot say.	1086	Year of at least four digits, or YYYY-MM-DD
to	optional	Latest year or date the row can refer to, in the same form as ‘from’. For a single year, put it in both ‘from’ and ‘to’. Leave empty if the end is unknown.	1086	Year of at least four digits, or YYYY-MM-DD
source_id	required	The source this comes from: a source_id from the sources sheet.	domesday
locator	optional	Where in the source: a page, folio, column or entry, written as the source numbers it (‘p. 25’, ‘f. 12v’). Optional.	f. 143
attribution	optional	‘Inferred’ if the source was given as ‘ibid.’ or ‘idem’ and an editor worked out which source was meant. Leave empty otherwise.	Inferred	One of: Stated, Inferred
citation_function	optional	Why the source is cited, as a term of CiTO, the Citation Typing Ontology: ‘citesAsEvidence’ (the source is the evidence), ‘citesAsDataSource’, ‘citesAsRelated’, ‘citesForInformation’ and so on. Optional; leave empty if your data does not say.	citesAsEvidence	One of: cites, agreesWith, citesAsAuthority, citesAsDataSource, citesAsEvidence, citesAsMetadataDocument, citesAsPotentialSolution, citesAsRecommendedReading, citesAsRelated, citesAsSourceDocument, citesForInformation, compiles, confirms, containsAssertionFrom, corrects, credits, critiques, derides, describes, disagreesWith, discusses, disputes, documents, extends, includesExcerptFrom, includesQuotationFrom, linksTo, obtainsBackgroundFrom, obtainsSupportFrom, parodies, plagiarizes, qualifies, refutes, repliesTo, retracts, reviews, ridicules, speculatesOn, supports, updates, usesConclusionsFrom, usesDataFrom, usesMethodIn
certainty	optional	How sure you are of this row, from 0 (not at all) to 1 (certain). Optional: if your source or your judgement gives certainty in words, use certainty_level instead, rather than inventing a number.	0.9	A number from 0 to 1
certainty_level	optional	Certainty in words: ‘Certain’, ‘LessCertain’ or ‘Uncertain’, the three levels of Linked Places Format. Optional; may be given with or instead of certainty.	LessCertain	One of: Certain, LessCertain, Uncertain
denied	optional	‘yes’ if the source says this is not so: no market here, a grant refused. The row then records a denial, not an assertion, so give only the one thing the source denies. Leave empty for an ordinary row.	yes	One of: yes, no
stance	optional	How firmly the source itself says it: ‘Reported’ if the source passes it on without vouching for it (‘it is said’), ‘Tentative’ if it hedges, ‘Doubted’ if it raises it but will not decide (that is not a denial: use denied for that), or ‘Asserted’. Leave empty where the source simply states it. This is the source’s stance, not how sure you are, which is certainty.	Reported	One of: Asserted, Reported, Tentative, Doubted
notes	optional	Anything else worth saying about this row, in your own words. Optional.

locations

One row for each location a source gives for a place. Each row becomes a plato:Attestation of one plato:Geometry. Give a point as latitude and longitude; add a shape as WKT if you have one.

Column	Needed?	What to put	Example	Values
place_id	required	The place this row is about: a place_id from the places sheet.	bristol
latitude	required	Latitude in decimal degrees, WGS 84 (as in most web maps).	51.4552	A number from -90 to 90
longitude	required	Longitude in decimal degrees, WGS 84. West of Greenwich is negative.	-2.5967	A number from -180 to 180
wkt	optional	A shape (line or polygon) as Well-Known Text, if you have one. Optional.	POLYGON((-2.61 51.44, -2.58 51.44, -2.58 51.47, -2.61 51.47, -2.61 51.44))	Well-Known Text
geometry_role	optional	What the location marks: ‘Extent’ (the whole place), ‘FeaturePoint’ (a particular feature, such as the church), ‘RepresentativePoint’ (a point standing in for the place, as a symbol on a map usually is), ‘LabelAnchor’, ‘Itinerary’. Optional.	FeaturePoint	One of: Extent, FeaturePoint, RepresentativePoint, LabelAnchor, Itinerary
precision_km	optional	How far out the location might be, in kilometres. Optional.	0.5	A number, at least 0
date	required	The date as your source gives it, in any form: ‘1086’, ‘c. 925’, ‘1480-1485’, ‘a. 1300’. Write ‘undated’ if the source gives no date. Required on every row.	1086
from	optional	Earliest year or date the row can refer to, with at least four digits (0921, not 921; -12000 for 12,000 BCE) or YYYY-MM-DD. Optional; leave empty if you cannot say.	1086	Year of at least four digits, or YYYY-MM-DD
to	optional	Latest year or date the row can refer to, in the same form as ‘from’. For a single year, put it in both ‘from’ and ‘to’. Leave empty if the end is unknown.	1086	Year of at least four digits, or YYYY-MM-DD
source_id	required	The source this comes from: a source_id from the sources sheet.	domesday
locator	optional	Where in the source: a page, folio, column or entry, written as the source numbers it (‘p. 25’, ‘f. 12v’). Optional.	f. 143
attribution	optional	‘Inferred’ if the source was given as ‘ibid.’ or ‘idem’ and an editor worked out which source was meant. Leave empty otherwise.	Inferred	One of: Stated, Inferred
citation_function	optional	Why the source is cited, as a term of CiTO, the Citation Typing Ontology: ‘citesAsEvidence’ (the source is the evidence), ‘citesAsDataSource’, ‘citesAsRelated’, ‘citesForInformation’ and so on. Optional; leave empty if your data does not say.	citesAsEvidence	One of: cites, agreesWith, citesAsAuthority, citesAsDataSource, citesAsEvidence, citesAsMetadataDocument, citesAsPotentialSolution, citesAsRecommendedReading, citesAsRelated, citesAsSourceDocument, citesForInformation, compiles, confirms, containsAssertionFrom, corrects, credits, critiques, derides, describes, disagreesWith, discusses, disputes, documents, extends, includesExcerptFrom, includesQuotationFrom, linksTo, obtainsBackgroundFrom, obtainsSupportFrom, parodies, plagiarizes, qualifies, refutes, repliesTo, retracts, reviews, ridicules, speculatesOn, supports, updates, usesConclusionsFrom, usesDataFrom, usesMethodIn
certainty	optional	How sure you are of this row, from 0 (not at all) to 1 (certain). Optional: if your source or your judgement gives certainty in words, use certainty_level instead, rather than inventing a number.	0.9	A number from 0 to 1
certainty_level	optional	Certainty in words: ‘Certain’, ‘LessCertain’ or ‘Uncertain’, the three levels of Linked Places Format. Optional; may be given with or instead of certainty.	LessCertain	One of: Certain, LessCertain, Uncertain
denied	optional	‘yes’ if the source says this is not so: no market here, a grant refused. The row then records a denial, not an assertion, so give only the one thing the source denies. Leave empty for an ordinary row.	yes	One of: yes, no
stance	optional	How firmly the source itself says it: ‘Reported’ if the source passes it on without vouching for it (‘it is said’), ‘Tentative’ if it hedges, ‘Doubted’ if it raises it but will not decide (that is not a denial: use denied for that), or ‘Asserted’. Leave empty where the source simply states it. This is the source’s stance, not how sure you are, which is certainty.	Reported	One of: Asserted, Reported, Tentative, Doubted
notes	optional	Anything else worth saying about this row, in your own words. Optional.

types

One row for each time a source says what kind of place something is: a town, a parish, a port. Each row becomes a plato:Attestation of one plato:Type.

Column	Needed?	What to put	Example	Values
place_id	required	The place this row is about: a place_id from the places sheet.	bristol
type_label	required	The kind of place, in the source’s words or yours (‘port’, ‘hundred’).	port
type_uri	optional	The matching concept’s full web address in a published vocabulary, such as the Getty AAT, if you know it: not a bare code. For an OpenStreetMap tag, include its key (https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Tag:waterway=stream). Leave it empty for a category of your source’s own that no vocabulary holds. Optional.	http://vocab.getty.edu/aat/300008347	A web address
type_scheme	optional	The web address of the vocabulary the type comes from, if type_uri does not already make it plain: for Köppen codes, WWF ecoregions or your project’s own list. Optional.	https://example.org/vocabularies/ecoregions	A web address
type_scheme_version	optional	The version of that vocabulary you used, where its terms change meaning between versions (‘2017’). Optional.	2017
date	required	The date as your source gives it, in any form: ‘1086’, ‘c. 925’, ‘1480-1485’, ‘a. 1300’. Write ‘undated’ if the source gives no date. Required on every row.	1086
from	optional	Earliest year or date the row can refer to, with at least four digits (0921, not 921; -12000 for 12,000 BCE) or YYYY-MM-DD. Optional; leave empty if you cannot say.	1086	Year of at least four digits, or YYYY-MM-DD
to	optional	Latest year or date the row can refer to, in the same form as ‘from’. For a single year, put it in both ‘from’ and ‘to’. Leave empty if the end is unknown.	1086	Year of at least four digits, or YYYY-MM-DD
source_id	required	The source this comes from: a source_id from the sources sheet.	domesday
locator	optional	Where in the source: a page, folio, column or entry, written as the source numbers it (‘p. 25’, ‘f. 12v’). Optional.	f. 143
attribution	optional	‘Inferred’ if the source was given as ‘ibid.’ or ‘idem’ and an editor worked out which source was meant. Leave empty otherwise.	Inferred	One of: Stated, Inferred
citation_function	optional	Why the source is cited, as a term of CiTO, the Citation Typing Ontology: ‘citesAsEvidence’ (the source is the evidence), ‘citesAsDataSource’, ‘citesAsRelated’, ‘citesForInformation’ and so on. Optional; leave empty if your data does not say.	citesAsEvidence	One of: cites, agreesWith, citesAsAuthority, citesAsDataSource, citesAsEvidence, citesAsMetadataDocument, citesAsPotentialSolution, citesAsRecommendedReading, citesAsRelated, citesAsSourceDocument, citesForInformation, compiles, confirms, containsAssertionFrom, corrects, credits, critiques, derides, describes, disagreesWith, discusses, disputes, documents, extends, includesExcerptFrom, includesQuotationFrom, linksTo, obtainsBackgroundFrom, obtainsSupportFrom, parodies, plagiarizes, qualifies, refutes, repliesTo, retracts, reviews, ridicules, speculatesOn, supports, updates, usesConclusionsFrom, usesDataFrom, usesMethodIn
certainty	optional	How sure you are of this row, from 0 (not at all) to 1 (certain). Optional: if your source or your judgement gives certainty in words, use certainty_level instead, rather than inventing a number.	0.9	A number from 0 to 1
certainty_level	optional	Certainty in words: ‘Certain’, ‘LessCertain’ or ‘Uncertain’, the three levels of Linked Places Format. Optional; may be given with or instead of certainty.	LessCertain	One of: Certain, LessCertain, Uncertain
denied	optional	‘yes’ if the source says this is not so: no market here, a grant refused. The row then records a denial, not an assertion, so give only the one thing the source denies. Leave empty for an ordinary row.	yes	One of: yes, no
stance	optional	How firmly the source itself says it: ‘Reported’ if the source passes it on without vouching for it (‘it is said’), ‘Tentative’ if it hedges, ‘Doubted’ if it raises it but will not decide (that is not a denial: use denied for that), or ‘Asserted’. Leave empty where the source simply states it. This is the source’s stance, not how sure you are, which is certainty.	Reported	One of: Asserted, Reported, Tentative, Doubted
notes	optional	Anything else worth saying about this row, in your own words. Optional.

relations

One row for each time a source relates a place to something else: a parish lying in a hundred, a station on a road, a stop on a journey, one place leading to another, a place where a person was born. Each row becomes a plato:Attestation relating the place in place_id either to another place, in related_place_id, or to something described elsewhere (a person, an object, an event), in related_uri. Fill in one of the two, never both; or neither, when the source only names the other thing, in related_label. CSVW cannot state that rule, so PLATO tools checks it.

Column	Needed?	What to put	Example	Values
place_id	required	The place this row is about: a place_id from the places sheet.	bristol
relation_type	required	How they are related. Places within places: ‘ContainedIn’ (the place in place_id lies within the other). Routes, journeys and networks: ‘MemberOf’ (the place is a station, stop or member of the route, journey or network in related_place_id; give its position in sequence), ‘ConnectedTo’ (directly connected, either way), ‘LeadsTo’ (connected one way, from place_id to the other), ‘BeginsAt’ and ‘EndsAt’ (a segment, such as a leg of a road, begins or ends at the other place), ‘HasEnd’ (the other place is one end of a segment with no direction; give it for both ends). People, objects and events, in related_uri: ‘BirthplaceOf’, ‘DeathplaceOf’, ‘ResidenceOf’, ‘FindspotOf’, ‘SettingOf’, ‘WorkplaceOf’. Images and records about a place, in related_uri: ‘DepictedIn’ (a photograph, map or drawing shows it), ‘SubjectOf’ (an archival file, report or publication is about it). A people’s land: ‘HomelandOf’ (the place is land the people lived in or held; name the people in related_label, and give its address in related_uri where it has one). Only PLATO’s own relation types can be used here; a project’s own (declared in JSON or RDF with broader_relation) cannot, and further types are added to PLATO’s vocabulary on request.	ContainedIn	One of: ContainedIn, MemberOf, ConnectedTo, LeadsTo, BeginsAt, EndsAt, HasEnd, BirthplaceOf, DeathplaceOf, ResidenceOf, FindspotOf, SettingOf, WorkplaceOf, DepictedIn, SubjectOf, HomelandOf
related_place_id	optional	The other place: a place_id from the places sheet. Leave empty if the row relates the place to something that is not a place, in related_uri, or only names it, in related_label.	buckinghamshire
related_uri	optional	The web address of what the place is related to, when it is not a place in your places sheet: a person, an object or an event described elsewhere, such as http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q9441 for the Buddha. Leave empty if you filled in related_place_id. Leave both empty when the source only names the other thing, without anything to point at: then give the name in related_label.	http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q9441	A web address
related_label	optional	A name for what related_uri points to (‘the Buddha’), so that it can be shown without looking the address up. Give it whenever you fill in related_uri. On its own, it names something the source gives no address for (‘in the Delta’); a unit that recurs, such as a province, is better added to the places sheet.	the Buddha
sequence	optional	For MemberOf: the place’s position on the route or journey, as your source orders it (1, 2, 3 …). Two places with the same number are alternatives. Leave empty if the source gives no order.	3
date	required	The date as your source gives it, in any form: ‘1086’, ‘c. 925’, ‘1480-1485’, ‘a. 1300’. Write ‘undated’ if the source gives no date. Required on every row.	1086
from	optional	Earliest year or date the row can refer to, with at least four digits (0921, not 921; -12000 for 12,000 BCE) or YYYY-MM-DD. Optional; leave empty if you cannot say.	1086	Year of at least four digits, or YYYY-MM-DD
to	optional	Latest year or date the row can refer to, in the same form as ‘from’. For a single year, put it in both ‘from’ and ‘to’. Leave empty if the end is unknown.	1086	Year of at least four digits, or YYYY-MM-DD
duration	optional	How long, where the source says so without dates, or as well as them: a stay at a stop on a journey (‘P42D’ for six weeks, ‘P1D’ for a day, ‘PT12H’ for twelve hours). Write it in this form, with weeks as days; put the source’s own words in date. Optional.	P42D
source_id	required	The source this comes from: a source_id from the sources sheet.	domesday
locator	optional	Where in the source: a page, folio, column or entry, written as the source numbers it (‘p. 25’, ‘f. 12v’). Optional.	f. 143
attribution	optional	‘Inferred’ if the source was given as ‘ibid.’ or ‘idem’ and an editor worked out which source was meant. Leave empty otherwise.	Inferred	One of: Stated, Inferred
citation_function	optional	Why the source is cited, as a term of CiTO, the Citation Typing Ontology: ‘citesAsEvidence’ (the source is the evidence), ‘citesAsDataSource’, ‘citesAsRelated’, ‘citesForInformation’ and so on. Optional; leave empty if your data does not say.	citesAsEvidence	One of: cites, agreesWith, citesAsAuthority, citesAsDataSource, citesAsEvidence, citesAsMetadataDocument, citesAsPotentialSolution, citesAsRecommendedReading, citesAsRelated, citesAsSourceDocument, citesForInformation, compiles, confirms, containsAssertionFrom, corrects, credits, critiques, derides, describes, disagreesWith, discusses, disputes, documents, extends, includesExcerptFrom, includesQuotationFrom, linksTo, obtainsBackgroundFrom, obtainsSupportFrom, parodies, plagiarizes, qualifies, refutes, repliesTo, retracts, reviews, ridicules, speculatesOn, supports, updates, usesConclusionsFrom, usesDataFrom, usesMethodIn
certainty	optional	How sure you are of this row, from 0 (not at all) to 1 (certain). Optional: if your source or your judgement gives certainty in words, use certainty_level instead, rather than inventing a number.	0.9	A number from 0 to 1
certainty_level	optional	Certainty in words: ‘Certain’, ‘LessCertain’ or ‘Uncertain’, the three levels of Linked Places Format. Optional; may be given with or instead of certainty.	LessCertain	One of: Certain, LessCertain, Uncertain
denied	optional	‘yes’ if the source says this is not so: no market here, a grant refused. The row then records a denial, not an assertion, so give only the one thing the source denies. Leave empty for an ordinary row.	yes	One of: yes, no
stance	optional	How firmly the source itself says it: ‘Reported’ if the source passes it on without vouching for it (‘it is said’), ‘Tentative’ if it hedges, ‘Doubted’ if it raises it but will not decide (that is not a denial: use denied for that), or ‘Asserted’. Leave empty where the source simply states it. This is the source’s stance, not how sure you are, which is certainty.	Reported	One of: Asserted, Reported, Tentative, Doubted
notes	optional	Anything else worth saying about this row, in your own words. Optional.

connections

One row for each figure a source gives about a connection between two places: the number of letters sent from one city to another, a journey time, a toll, a cargo. Each row becomes a plato:Attestation relating the place in place_id to the place in related_place_id, with one plato:PropertyValue. Several figures about one connection are several rows. A connection with no figures goes in the relations sheet; a physical link with its own existence, such as a leg of a road, is better entered as a place of its own, with its figures in the properties sheet.

Column	Needed?	What to put	Example	Values
place_id	required	The place this row is about: a place_id from the places sheet.	florence
relation_type	required	‘ConnectedTo’ (connected, either way) or ‘LeadsTo’ (one way, from place_id to the other: letters sent from it, water flowing from it).	LeadsTo	One of: ConnectedTo, LeadsTo
related_place_id	required	The other place: a place_id from the places sheet.	barcelona
property_uri	required	What the figure is, as the web address of a property in a published vocabulary.	https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Property:P1082	A web address
property_label	optional	What is being stated, in words (‘population’). Optional.	population
value	required	The figure, as the source gives it or as a number.	3304
unit_uri	optional	The unit, as the web address of a unit in a published vocabulary, if the value has one. Optional.		A web address
date	required	The date as your source gives it, in any form: ‘1086’, ‘c. 925’, ‘1480-1485’, ‘a. 1300’. Write ‘undated’ if the source gives no date. Required on every row.	1086
from	optional	Earliest year or date the row can refer to, with at least four digits (0921, not 921; -12000 for 12,000 BCE) or YYYY-MM-DD. Optional; leave empty if you cannot say.	1086	Year of at least four digits, or YYYY-MM-DD
to	optional	Latest year or date the row can refer to, in the same form as ‘from’. For a single year, put it in both ‘from’ and ‘to’. Leave empty if the end is unknown.	1086	Year of at least four digits, or YYYY-MM-DD
source_id	required	The source this comes from: a source_id from the sources sheet.	domesday
locator	optional	Where in the source: a page, folio, column or entry, written as the source numbers it (‘p. 25’, ‘f. 12v’). Optional.	f. 143
attribution	optional	‘Inferred’ if the source was given as ‘ibid.’ or ‘idem’ and an editor worked out which source was meant. Leave empty otherwise.	Inferred	One of: Stated, Inferred
citation_function	optional	Why the source is cited, as a term of CiTO, the Citation Typing Ontology: ‘citesAsEvidence’ (the source is the evidence), ‘citesAsDataSource’, ‘citesAsRelated’, ‘citesForInformation’ and so on. Optional; leave empty if your data does not say.	citesAsEvidence	One of: cites, agreesWith, citesAsAuthority, citesAsDataSource, citesAsEvidence, citesAsMetadataDocument, citesAsPotentialSolution, citesAsRecommendedReading, citesAsRelated, citesAsSourceDocument, citesForInformation, compiles, confirms, containsAssertionFrom, corrects, credits, critiques, derides, describes, disagreesWith, discusses, disputes, documents, extends, includesExcerptFrom, includesQuotationFrom, linksTo, obtainsBackgroundFrom, obtainsSupportFrom, parodies, plagiarizes, qualifies, refutes, repliesTo, retracts, reviews, ridicules, speculatesOn, supports, updates, usesConclusionsFrom, usesDataFrom, usesMethodIn
certainty	optional	How sure you are of this row, from 0 (not at all) to 1 (certain). Optional: if your source or your judgement gives certainty in words, use certainty_level instead, rather than inventing a number.	0.9	A number from 0 to 1
certainty_level	optional	Certainty in words: ‘Certain’, ‘LessCertain’ or ‘Uncertain’, the three levels of Linked Places Format. Optional; may be given with or instead of certainty.	LessCertain	One of: Certain, LessCertain, Uncertain
denied	optional	‘yes’ if the source says this is not so: no market here, a grant refused. The row then records a denial, not an assertion, so give only the one thing the source denies. Leave empty for an ordinary row.	yes	One of: yes, no
stance	optional	How firmly the source itself says it: ‘Reported’ if the source passes it on without vouching for it (‘it is said’), ‘Tentative’ if it hedges, ‘Doubted’ if it raises it but will not decide (that is not a denial: use denied for that), or ‘Asserted’. Leave empty where the source simply states it. This is the source’s stance, not how sure you are, which is certainty.	Reported	One of: Asserted, Reported, Tentative, Doubted
notes	optional	Anything else worth saying about this row, in your own words. Optional.

properties

One row for each other fact a source states about a place: a population, a valuation, a market day. Each row becomes a plato:Attestation of one plato:PropertyValue. A latitude given without a longitude is a property too, not a location: property_uri http://www.w3.org/2003/01/geo/wgs84_pos#lat, with the value in decimal degrees.

Column	Needed?	What to put	Example	Values
place_id	required	The place this row is about: a place_id from the places sheet.	bristol
property_uri	required	What is being stated, as the web address of a property in a published vocabulary, for example Wikidata’s ‘population’.	https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Property:P1082	A web address
property_label	optional	What is being stated, in words (‘population’). Optional.	population
value	required	The value, as the source gives it or as a number.	3304
unit_uri	optional	The unit, as the web address of a unit in a published vocabulary, if the value has one. Optional.		A web address
date	required	The date as your source gives it, in any form: ‘1086’, ‘c. 925’, ‘1480-1485’, ‘a. 1300’. Write ‘undated’ if the source gives no date. Required on every row.	1086
from	optional	Earliest year or date the row can refer to, with at least four digits (0921, not 921; -12000 for 12,000 BCE) or YYYY-MM-DD. Optional; leave empty if you cannot say.	1086	Year of at least four digits, or YYYY-MM-DD
to	optional	Latest year or date the row can refer to, in the same form as ‘from’. For a single year, put it in both ‘from’ and ‘to’. Leave empty if the end is unknown.	1086	Year of at least four digits, or YYYY-MM-DD
source_id	required	The source this comes from: a source_id from the sources sheet.	domesday
locator	optional	Where in the source: a page, folio, column or entry, written as the source numbers it (‘p. 25’, ‘f. 12v’). Optional.	f. 143
attribution	optional	‘Inferred’ if the source was given as ‘ibid.’ or ‘idem’ and an editor worked out which source was meant. Leave empty otherwise.	Inferred	One of: Stated, Inferred
citation_function	optional	Why the source is cited, as a term of CiTO, the Citation Typing Ontology: ‘citesAsEvidence’ (the source is the evidence), ‘citesAsDataSource’, ‘citesAsRelated’, ‘citesForInformation’ and so on. Optional; leave empty if your data does not say.	citesAsEvidence	One of: cites, agreesWith, citesAsAuthority, citesAsDataSource, citesAsEvidence, citesAsMetadataDocument, citesAsPotentialSolution, citesAsRecommendedReading, citesAsRelated, citesAsSourceDocument, citesForInformation, compiles, confirms, containsAssertionFrom, corrects, credits, critiques, derides, describes, disagreesWith, discusses, disputes, documents, extends, includesExcerptFrom, includesQuotationFrom, linksTo, obtainsBackgroundFrom, obtainsSupportFrom, parodies, plagiarizes, qualifies, refutes, repliesTo, retracts, reviews, ridicules, speculatesOn, supports, updates, usesConclusionsFrom, usesDataFrom, usesMethodIn
certainty	optional	How sure you are of this row, from 0 (not at all) to 1 (certain). Optional: if your source or your judgement gives certainty in words, use certainty_level instead, rather than inventing a number.	0.9	A number from 0 to 1
certainty_level	optional	Certainty in words: ‘Certain’, ‘LessCertain’ or ‘Uncertain’, the three levels of Linked Places Format. Optional; may be given with or instead of certainty.	LessCertain	One of: Certain, LessCertain, Uncertain
denied	optional	‘yes’ if the source says this is not so: no market here, a grant refused. The row then records a denial, not an assertion, so give only the one thing the source denies. Leave empty for an ordinary row.	yes	One of: yes, no
stance	optional	How firmly the source itself says it: ‘Reported’ if the source passes it on without vouching for it (‘it is said’), ‘Tentative’ if it hedges, ‘Doubted’ if it raises it but will not decide (that is not a denial: use denied for that), or ‘Asserted’. Leave empty where the source simply states it. This is the source’s stance, not how sure you are, which is certainty.	Reported	One of: Asserted, Reported, Tentative, Doubted
notes	optional	Anything else worth saying about this row, in your own words. Optional.

identities

One row for each record elsewhere (GeoNames, Wikidata, the World Historical Gazetteer, another dataset) that you believe is the same place as one of yours. Each row becomes a plato:IdentityRelation.

Column	Needed?	What to put	Example	Values
place_id	required	Your place: a place_id from the places sheet.	bristol
same_as	required	The web address of the other record.	https://www.geonames.org/2654675/	A web address
match_type	required	‘exactMatch’ (certainly the same), ‘closeMatch’ (the same, with some difference of extent or scope), ‘related’ (closely associated), or ‘unspecified’ (your source links the two but does not say how strongly). Required, so that a match of unstated strength is marked as such rather than read as exact.	exactMatch	One of: exactMatch, closeMatch, related, unspecified
certainty	optional	How sure you are that they are the same, from 0 to 1. Optional.	0.9	A number from 0 to 1
basis	optional	Why you think so, in your own words. Optional.	Same name and position; the only plausible match.
source_id	optional	A source that supports the match, from the sources sheet. Optional.