Put the Source and Update Date Where Readers Can See Them

A published results or standings table should normally carry a short source-and-date block immediately below it. Do not leave that information in a general bibliography or expect the article’s publication date to explain when the data were checked.

For example, a table drawn from the NRL’s 2007 results could use this form:

Source: NRL 2007 Internationals results for match dates, scores and venues. Data through: 17 November 2007. Source checked: 25 September 2026. Table updated: 25 September 2026. Method: Matches displayed under the NRL’s 2007 Internationals filter; points difference calculated from the listed scores.

The labels do different jobs. Keep each one only when it helps readers understand the table.

Distinguish coverage, checking and updating

“Updated 2026” is too vague for a record table. Readers need to know what the date describes.

Label	What it tells the reader	When to include it
Data through	The latest match date or the end of the period covered	Whenever later results could be added
Source checked	When the cited page, database or archive was inspected	When a source may change or has no stable version
Table updated	When the published table last changed materially	After a result, classification, calculation, source or substantive note changes
Originally published	When the article first appeared	In the article header, not as a substitute for table dates

These dates can legitimately differ. A table updated on 25 September may contain results only through 12 September, based on sources checked on 24 September.

Use complete, unambiguous dates: 25 September 2026, not “25/09/26” or “last Friday.” A season label is useful context but does not replace a coverage date.

The distinction is consistent with the W3C’s Data on the Web Best Practices, which lists publication date, temporal coverage and date of last modification as separate descriptive metadata. The guidance also recommends recording provenance—the origins of the data and changes made to it.

Put the source next to the numbers

The source note belongs where readers encounter the data. The UK Government Analysis Function’s guidance for data tables recommends naming and linking the source underneath a table and listing every source when more than one was used.

Name the source precisely. “NRL,” “archive” or “various websites” is not enough. Prefer:

Source: NRL, 2007 Internationals results.

If a table combines records, say what each one supplies:

Sources: Official results for match dates, scores and venues; archived competition table for the published finishing order.

That wording prevents a broad citation from appearing to support fields it does not contain. It also makes conflicts easier to trace.

For a long match table with one common source, a single note below the table is sufficient. Add a row-level citation only where a fixture uses different evidence or needs a specific qualification. If every table on a page uses exactly the same source, one clearly scoped page-level note may be enough; otherwise keep the source with the relevant table.

Separate reported values from calculations

A source may publish match scores without publishing the margin, win rate or points difference shown in an article. Label the transformation:

Method: Margin is the winner’s score minus the loser’s score. Points difference is points scored minus points conceded.

Also define the population being counted. In international rugby league, state whether a table contains only recognized senior Tests or also admits A teams, XIII selections, development sides, qualifiers or tour matches. A calculation can be arithmetically correct and still answer the wrong record-book question if its match-status rule is unclear.

Tournament tables need the same care. If a surviving table gives an order but does not define an abbreviated column or tie-break, reproduce only what is supported. Do not silently reverse-engineer a rule. The 2007 international results and tables record, for example, preserves published orderings while identifying unexplained columns and unstated ordering rules.

Record access dates and versions where they matter

An access date records when a page supported the published table. It is not the date of the match or the date on which the underlying record was created.

Access dates are particularly useful for dynamic databases, undated pages and records liable to revision. The USGS data-citation guidance recommends access dates in its citation models for static, versioned and dynamic data products, with version identifiers for versioned products and for dynamic products where applicable. It also notes limited exceptions, including data released alongside the publication that cites it.

Where a source offers a version number, include it. If a live page has changed or disappeared, cite the archived snapshot actually consulted and identify its capture date when available.

Change “Table updated” only for a material revision

Do not refresh the table date merely because punctuation, page furniture or the surrounding introduction changed. Update it when the table’s evidential content changes, including:

• a result, venue, date or attendance;
• a match-status classification;
• a derived total or percentage;
• the period covered;
• a source or material caveat.

Preserve a concise note when a correction or unresolved conflict affects the record. For example:

Record note, checked 25 September 2026: Published sources give the attendance as 35,421 and 35,241. The attendance remains disputed; the match result is unaffected.

Those values are documented in the 2007 international record. Marking the field as disputed is more informative than silently selecting one figure. Use unknown or not established where the surviving evidence does not support a value.

A compact publication check

Before a data table goes live, check that it has:

1. a title identifying the competition, measure and period;
2. clear column headings and units;
3. direct links to the sources actually used;
4. a Data through date where later records could be added;
5. a Source checked date where the evidence may change;
6. a Table updated date;
7. a method note for calculated or classification-dependent fields;
8. a correction or record note for any material revision or unresolved conflict.

This gives the reader a compact audit trail: what the table covers, where its values came from, when the evidence was checked and whether the published record has changed.