Tab Lead Handbook

The Tab Lead Role

A Tab Lead is the operational steward of one or more content tabs within a franchise sheet. You are responsible for the accuracy, consistency, and structural integrity of every entry in your tab — and for the quality of the work your Contributors submit into it.

This is not an entry-level position. Tab Leads are appointed on the basis of demonstrated competence: mastery of tab boundaries, ability to review Contributor submissions independently, and the communication skills to provide clear, constructive feedback. You report to your Franchise Lead and hold the escalation path upward when cases exceed your authority.

Core responsibilities

Authority and Governance Boundaries

Tab Leads hold tab-level authority. That authority is specific and bounded. Understanding exactly where your permissions end is as important as knowing what you can do.

What you are authorised to do

What you are not authorised to do

• ✕
  Hide or unhide any tab Tab visibility is controlled by the Franchise Lead. Do not change tab visibility under any circumstance.
• ✕
  Edit system tabs (REG, CHG) These are Lead Archivist access only. Do not open, edit, or unhide them.
• ✕
  Activate or edit relational tabs (XMD, RGT, EDC, CHR, LOC, TIM) Relational tabs are hidden by default and activated only by the Lead Archivist. Tab Leads may contribute evidence for relational links when asked, but do not touch the tabs themselves until activated.
• ✕
  Modify schema or field definitions Schema changes require a Schema Change Request approved by the Lead Archivist. If you believe a field is missing or incorrect, raise it with your Franchise Lead.
• ✕
  Create new tabs or alter tab order Tab architecture is defined in the Tab Structure Master and governed by the Lead Archivist. No additions, deletions, or reordering.
• ✕
  Approve TIM entries at Low or Medium certainty These require Franchise Lead sign-off. Prepare the entry and the supporting evidence, then escalate.

Your Tab — Structure, Standards, and Setup

Before you can review contributions or enforce standards, you need a complete working knowledge of your tab's own structure: its eligibility criteria, its column schema, its relationship to adjacent tabs, and its current state of completeness.

Initial setup — what to establish first

1. 1
   Read the Tab-by-Tab Methodology Reference entry for your tab

   This defines eligibility criteria, inclusion and exclusion boundaries, and the unhide conditions that govern whether your tab should be visible at all. Know these rules precisely — you will be applying them to every submission you receive.

2. 2
   Study the Field Specification Master for your tab's field groups

   Map the columns in your tab to their field definitions. Understand which fields are required, which are recommended, and what a correctly populated row looks like in every zone: identification, identifiers, availability, placement, continuity, source, and contributor.

3. 3
   Audit the existing entries against the schema

   Read twenty to thirty existing rows. Identify the patterns, spot the inconsistencies, and establish a baseline picture of tab health before any new work begins. Document your findings — this becomes your first tab health snapshot.

4. 4
   Identify and confirm tab visibility

   Confirm with your Franchise Lead that the tab is visible only because qualifying content exists. If visibility is uncertain, escalate — do not assume.

5. 5
   Prepare three model entries

   Select or build three entries that demonstrate correct field usage, neutral descriptive language, proper sourcing, and complete contributor fields. These become your reference examples for onboarding new Contributors to your tab.

Tab visibility rules

Content tabs (01–18) are hidden by default. A Franchise Lead unhides a tab only when sufficient qualifying content exists to justify its visibility. As Tab Lead, you do not control visibility — but you must understand the rules so you can advise your Franchise Lead accurately.

Classification — Enforcing the Rules

Classification is not a judgement call. It is the application of defined eligibility criteria to a specific work. Your job is to apply those criteria consistently and escalate the cases where they genuinely do not resolve the question.

The rules you enforce

Contributors are responsible for following EUA classification standards. Tab Leads are responsible for ensuring those standards have been met. The following principles underpin every classification decision — they are detailed in the Tab-by-Tab Methodology Reference and the Field Specification Master. Reference those documents; do not substitute memory for them.

• Publication order governs entry placement — never narrative chronology
• Classification must be descriptive, not interpretive
• Eligibility requires official publication or licensing — fan-made material is always excluded
• Promotional content is excluded unless it meets explicit qualifying criteria in the methodology
• All entries must be sourced and verifiable before integration
• The word "canon" does not appear anywhere in EUA metadata — use the rights-holder's designation or mark the field Undesignated

Resolving placement questions

When an entry's correct tab is not immediately clear, work through this sequence before escalating:

1. 1
   Read the eligibility definition for your tab and the adjacent tabs

   The Tab-by-Tab Methodology Reference defines precisely what belongs in each tab and what is explicitly excluded. Most apparent ambiguities resolve at this step.

2. 2
   Compare with similar confirmed entries

   Find existing entries of the same media type or format and examine how they were classified. Consistency with established precedent is the default position.

3. 3
   Document your reasoning in Contributor Notes

   Record what you considered, what evidence you found, and how you interpreted it. This documentation is required regardless of whether you resolve the case yourself or escalate it.

4. 4
   Escalate to the Franchise Lead if ambiguity remains

   Submit your documented reasoning alongside the escalation. Do not place the entry speculatively and correct it later — place it on HOLD until the decision is made.

Common classification errors to catch in submissions

• ✕
  Entry placed in the wrong tab A novel submitted to AUD, an audiobook reading listed as an audio drama, a collected edition entered as individual issues. Return the entry with the correct tab identified and the relevant methodology section cited.
• ✕
  Fan-made or unlicensed material submitted All entries must have official publication or licensing. If a submission cannot be verified against an official source, reject it and explain the eligibility requirement.
• ✕
  Narrative chronology used instead of publication order The EUA's placement is always by publication date. A Contributor who has ordered by in-universe timeline has applied the wrong standard. Correct the sequence and document the rule applied.
• ✕
  Promotional content included without checking eligibility Not all official promotional material qualifies. Check the methodology reference for your tab's specific exclusions before integrating anything described as promotional, bonus, or supplementary.

Reviewing Contributions

Contribution review is your most frequent workflow. Every submission you receive either gets integrated into the tab or returned to the Contributor with documented feedback. There is no third outcome — entries do not sit in limbo.

The review workflow

1. 1
   Check tab placement and eligibility

   Confirm the work belongs in your tab and meets the eligibility criteria for this media type. If it belongs elsewhere, redirect it to the correct Tab Lead with a note. If eligibility is unclear, place it on HOLD and escalate.

2. 2
   Verify all required fields are present

   Check against the Field Specification Master. Required fields — title, media type code, publication date, primary identifier, global availability, source URL, contributor fields — must all be populated. Recommended fields should be present where the information is available. Return the submission if required fields are missing.

3. 3
   Validate identifiers independently

   Do not accept identifiers at face value. Verify ISBN-13 against WorldCat or the publisher's catalogue, ASIN against the official retailer, QID against Wikidata. Edition-specific ISBNs from aggregators are a known source of error — always cross-check the source the Contributor has cited.

4. 4
   Review placement and continuity notes for language standards

   Notes must be descriptive, not interpretive. Permitted placement language: "Occurs before…", "Occurs after…", "Parallel to…", "Set during…". Permitted continuity language: "Introduces…", "Contradicts…", "Expands…", "Retcons…". Speculative or hedging language — "probably", "seems to", "may imply" — must be removed or the note returned for revision.

5. 5
   Confirm the source URL and Wayback link

   The source URL must be direct, accessible, and point specifically to the work — not a homepage. If a Wayback link is absent, add it. If the source URL is broken or inaccessible, return the submission with a request to supply a working source before integration.

6. 6
   Integrate or return with documented feedback

   If all checks pass, integrate the entry, update the verification status to Tab Lead-reviewed, and credit the Contributor in the appropriate fields. If any check fails, return the submission with specific, actionable feedback referencing the exact field and the standard it must meet.

Verification tiers

Handling Ambiguity

Ambiguity is not a failure in the submission process — it is an inherent feature of cataloguing complex transmedia franchises. The EUA's response to ambiguity is a defined resolution process, not improvisation.

The five most common ambiguity types

The resolution process

1. 1
   Gather all available evidence

   Publisher records, official announcements, rights-holder statements, verified catalogue entries. Exhaust available sources before concluding that the case is genuinely ambiguous.

2. 2
   Compare with similar confirmed entries

   Find the closest analogues in your tab and in adjacent tabs. How were they classified? Consistent application of existing precedent is the default position.

3. 3
   Apply the classification principles

   Run the work against the eligibility criteria in the Tab-by-Tab Methodology Reference. If the criteria resolve the question, apply them and document the reasoning.

4. 4
   Document your reasoning in Contributor Notes

   Record what you found, what you compared, how you applied the principles, and what remains unresolved. This documentation is required regardless of the outcome.

5. 5
   Escalate to the Franchise Lead if unresolved

   Submit your documented reasoning with the escalation. Place the entry on HOLD until the Franchise Lead's decision is received and recorded. Do not make a provisional placement and correct it later.

Escalation — Upward and Downward

Escalation flows in two directions from the Tab Lead position. Knowing when and how to use each direction is a core operational skill.

Upward escalation — Tab Lead to Franchise Lead

Escalate upward when a case exceeds your authority or cannot be resolved by applying existing methodology.

Escalate upward when:

• A work could plausibly fit multiple tabs and the methodology does not resolve it
• A media format is hybrid or unusual enough that the dominant format rule does not clearly apply
• A continuity or placement decision requires franchise-level knowledge beyond the tab
• A new identifier type appears that has no precedent in the schema
• A Contributor proposes a structural change — new field, new tab, schema modification
• A TIM entry requires Low or Medium certainty approval
• A conflict between Contributors cannot be resolved at tab level

Downward escalation — Tab Lead to Contributor

Downward escalation is the return of a submission to the Contributor for correction or clarification. It is not a rejection — it is a documented instruction to bring the entry to the standard required for integration.

Return a submission to the Contributor when:

• Required fields are missing or incomplete
• An identifier has not been verified against a primary source
• A source URL is broken, inaccessible, or does not point to the specific work
• Placement or continuity language is speculative or interpretive
• The entry belongs in a different tab
• Availability claims are unsupported by a current source

Tab Health and Maintenance

Tab health is not a one-time setup task. It is an ongoing responsibility. A healthy tab is accurate, complete, consistently formatted, and free of schema drift. You are accountable for its condition at any point.

Ongoing maintenance tasks

What a healthy tab looks like

Documentation and Transparency

The EUA's reliability depends on decisions being recorded, not just made. Every change you make to the tab, every submission you integrate or return, every escalation you raise — all of it is documented. There are no undocumented corrections.

What must be recorded

Transparency standards

• No undocumented changes — every correction leaves a record
• No silent fixes — if you correct an error, note what was wrong and what replaced it
• No interpretive placement without evidence — if the source cannot be cited, the note cannot be made
• All Contributors credited — every entry reflects the handle of whoever contributed or verified it
• All source URLs point to the specific work — not a homepage, search result, or aggregator listing
• All Wayback links captured for source URLs where possible

Working with Contributors

Your Contributors are the pipeline for new entries, verification, and gap-filling. How well you support them directly determines the quality and volume of work that reaches your tab. The relationship is operational — treat it with the same precision you bring to the data.

Onboarding a new Contributor to your tab

1. 1
   Share your three model entries

   New Contributors need a concrete picture of what a correct entry looks like in your specific tab. Point them to the three examples you prepared during setup. Explain what each field demonstrates and why it is formatted that way.

2. 2
   Assign a first microtask

   The first task should be achievable in five to ten minutes: verify three identifiers, add one missing Wayback link, or confirm one availability field. Early wins build confidence and introduce the schema without overwhelming.

3. 3
   Review their first submission promptly

   Speed of feedback on the first submission signals the quality of the working relationship. Review it within a reasonable timeframe, provide specific feedback on what was done well and what needs correction, and integrate or return with a clear explanation.

Providing feedback

All feedback to Contributors must meet the EUA's communication standards. The standard applies whether you are integrating cleanly, requesting minor corrections, or returning a submission entirely.

• Specific — name the exact field or value that requires attention
• Actionable — state what the correct approach or value should be
• Evidence-based — cite the relevant standard, field definition, or source
• Respectful in tone — patience with errors is expected, particularly from newer Contributors

Recognising contribution

Record every Contributor's handle in the appropriate fields on entries they have added or verified. Credit is not optional — it is part of the documentation standard and signals that the EUA values the work of its volunteers. Recognition in the CON tab is the Franchise Lead's responsibility, but accurate contributor field attribution is yours.

Supporting sustainable participation

• Assign tasks that match the Contributor's demonstrated skill level — don't overwhelm a new arrival with complex placement decisions
• Provide microtasks (2–5 minute verifications) for Contributors with limited time
• Encourage questions early — a Contributor who asks before submitting costs less time than one who submits incorrectly
• Reinforce the escalation norm — Contributors should escalate to you when uncertain, not guess

Growth Path — Tab Lead to Franchise Lead

The Tab Lead role is not a ceiling. It is the position from which Franchise Lead candidates are identified. Progression is based on demonstrated competence across three dimensions: data quality, governance compliance, and volunteer leadership. Quarterly reviews assess readiness — the decision rests with the Lead Archivist.

What readiness for Franchise Lead looks like