Contact the organization that controls the page or catalog entry, not the search engine or a third-party repost. Send the archive’s official catalog or support team the exact page URL, identify the incorrect name, date, event, or caption, propose precise replacement wording, and provide evidence staff can verify. Keep the request factual and narrowly focused, then save your message and every reply.
The correct remedy depends on what is wrong: descriptive metadata, an explanatory webpage, or the historical record itself. A catalog description can often be amended even when the original record must remain unchanged. Removal of a web capture is a separate request from correcting the description attached to it.
Identify what the archive has misidentified
Before writing, determine which layer contains the error. Archives may host a scan or web capture, a catalog record describing it, and separate exhibit or educational text. Each layer can have a different owner and correction process.
Incorrect catalog metadata or caption
This includes a wrong person’s name in a photograph caption, an incorrect event date, a mistaken collection summary, or a record linked to the wrong subject. Ask the catalog, editorial, or collection team to amend the description. Quote the exact wording now displayed and supply replacement text that staff can paste or adapt.
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Incorrect contextual or exhibit text
An archive’s article, finding aid introduction, exhibit panel, or educational page may make a factual error even when the digitized record is correctly preserved. Contact the team responsible for that information product and request a correction or a clearly labeled notice. Identify the page, heading, paragraph, and publication date if shown.
Disputed information in the historical record
A letter, report, photograph, register, or recording may contain an inaccurate name or date because that is how the record was created. An archive that preserves original records may not alter the item itself. Instead, request a corrected catalog description, an explanatory note, or a linked correction that tells readers what the evidence shows. The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) states that its archival records are excluded from its information-quality guidelines because they are preserved as created; its public descriptions and finding aids are covered.
Gather the information staff need to verify the claim
A correction request succeeds more often when a cataloger can locate the record and check your evidence without a second round of questions. Include all of the following in one message:
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- Your name and a reliable reply address.
- The exact page URL, plus the record title, catalog identifier, collection name, series, or archive reference number when available.
- The inaccurate phrase exactly as it appears, including the misidentified person, event, date, location, or caption.
- Proposed replacement wording. Keep it limited to the correction you can support.
- A short explanation of why the current wording is wrong and how the error could mislead readers or affect the people identified.
- Specific evidence. Prefer a primary or authoritative record, identify the relevant page, passage, image detail, or archival reference, and attach or link to documents when appropriate.
- The date you accessed the page and, if shown, the page’s publication or update date.
Do not send a general accusation such as “this is fake” or “the archive got history wrong.” Explain the testable proposition: which person appears in the image, which event occurred on which date, or which source establishes the correct identification. If the evidence is incomplete or the issue is interpretive, say that plainly and ask for a review rather than presenting a hypothesis as settled fact.
Write a concise, neutral correction request
Use a descriptive subject line and put the requested action near the top. A catalog team should be able to understand the issue from the first paragraph, then inspect your evidence.
Subject: Correction request for [record title or identifier] — [short description]
Hello [archive or catalog team],
The page at [exact URL] identifies/describes [person or event] as “[current wording].” I believe this is inaccurate because [brief, specific explanation]. The supporting source is [citation or link], which states/shows [relevant fact and page or passage].
Please change “[current wording]” to “[proposed wording],” or let me know if additional documentation would help. I accessed the page on [date].
Thank you,
[name]
[reply address]Replace every bracketed item before sending. If the archive’s form has separate fields, put the same facts into the corresponding fields and attach evidence in a stable format. Avoid personal information that is not needed to establish the correction.
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Use the archive’s own channel
There is no universal archive correction desk. The table below separates the documented routes for NARA and the Internet Archive from the practical approach for other institutions.
| Content at issue | Who may submit or edit | Channel and required details | Possible result |
|---|---|---|---|
| NARA Catalog typo or descriptive error | Anyone who can identify the record and evidence; self-service editing is not assumed | Email [email protected] with the exact Catalog page URL. Include the record title or identifier, the inaccurate wording, proposed correction, and evidence. |
Catalog staff review and may amend the description or request more information. |
| Other NARA information product, such as public explanatory text | Members of the public may submit a written request | Use a letter, email, or NA Form 14045. NARA lists [email protected] and the postal address: Information Quality, National Archives and Records Administration, SE, Room 110, 700 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20408. Provide the product name and location, error and effect, requested action, reasons, recommendations, and evidence. |
NARA determines whether and how to correct or add a notice. It states that it responds within seven working days, or supplies an estimated decision date if more time is needed. |
| Internet Archive item metadata | Users can edit metadata on items they created. Administrators control some fields. | If you created the item, use its editing controls. Media type, collection, uploader, and identifier are among fields that can only be changed by administrators. If you did not create the item, contact the archive. | Metadata may be corrected after review or routed to an administrator; access depends on the item and field. |
| Wayback Machine web capture exclusion | A person able to provide the requested ownership and URL context | Submit the URL or URLs, the time period to exclude, the period during which you controlled the site or account when applicable, and other helpful context. | The request starts a review. Internet Archive does not guarantee exclusion, and exclusion is not the same as correcting a catalog description. |
| Another archive’s catalog or website | Follow that institution’s published policy; otherwise contact the collection, catalog, or editorial team | Send the exact URL and identifier, current wording, proposed correction, explanation, and verifiable evidence. Ask that the request be routed to the responsible cataloger or editor. | The institution may correct the description, add context, request stronger evidence, retain the wording with an explanation, or decline. |
Contact details and forms can change. Check the archive’s current official page immediately before sending, even when you have used the address before.
Requesting a correction from NARA
NARA Catalog errors
For a typo or mistaken identification in the NARA Catalog, the Catalog FAQ directs users to email [email protected] and include the exact page URL. Keep this route focused on the Catalog entry. When citing a digitized record, NARA’s FAQ recommends identifying the document title and date; series; record group name and number; repository or location of the original; the online Catalog record URL; and your access date. Those details help staff distinguish similar records and let another reader reproduce your citation.
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NARA’s information-quality process
Use the broader information-quality route for an NARA information product rather than a Catalog record. NARA accepts a written request by letter or email, or through NA Form 14045. State the product’s name and location, the error and its effect, the corrective action you seek, your reasons and recommendations, and the evidence supporting them. NARA says its decision considers the information’s nature and timeliness, the significance and use of the correction, and its scope.
NARA’s stated service commitment is a response within seven working days. If a decision requires more time, the agency says it will explain that and provide an estimated decision date. This is NARA’s published process, not a deadline that applies to every archive.
What NARA may do
NARA may change the public description, add an explanatory correction notice, ask for stronger documentation, explain why the existing description remains, or decline the request. Its Information Quality Guidelines state: “If information has already been disseminated, we correct or include a notice of the correction with subsequent publication of the information.” That policy concerns covered information products; it does not authorize rewriting an archival record preserved as created.
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Separating Internet Archive metadata from Wayback exclusion
Editing an item you created
Internet Archive’s item-editing help says creators can edit metadata on items they created. Some fields, including media type, collection, uploader, and identifier, can only be changed by administrators. If the item belongs to someone else, do not assume the self-service editor is available; contact the archive with the item identifier, exact error, and evidence.
Asking for a Wayback capture to be excluded
An exclusion request concerns access to a web capture, not the historical accuracy of a catalog description. Provide each affected URL, the time period you want excluded, the period during which you controlled the relevant site or account when applicable, and any context that helps the archive evaluate the request. The request initiates review and does not guarantee an outcome. If the underlying problem is a wrong name in a catalog record, ask for a metadata correction instead of describing exclusion as a correction or guaranteed removal.
Submit the request in a verifiable sequence
- Capture the current state. Save the exact URL, record identifier, page title, access date, and a copy or screenshot of the wording. Preserve enough context to show where the disputed statement appears.
- Classify the error. Decide whether it is metadata, contextual text, or content inside the original record. Check whether the page belongs to a catalog, exhibit, finding aid, or web archive.
- Verify your evidence. Locate the primary or authoritative source, record its page or passage, and distinguish direct evidence from your interpretation. If two credible sources disagree, explain the disagreement.
- Draft replacement wording. Make the smallest change that fixes the identification. For example, replace a named person with “unidentified” if the evidence disproves the current name but does not establish a new one.
- Choose the official route. Use the archive’s catalog address, information-quality form, item administrator, or web-capture procedure that matches the content at issue.
- Send one complete message. Include your contact details, URL, identifier, current wording, proposed wording, explanation, evidence, and access date. Name attachments clearly and ensure links do not require special permissions.
- Record the submission. Save the sent message, attachments, automated receipt, case number, and the page version you reported.
What to expect after you submit
Possible decisions
- The description is corrected to the wording supported by the evidence.
- A correction notice or explanatory note is added while the original record remains unchanged.
- Staff ask for a clearer source, a higher-resolution image, a fuller citation, or proof that you are authorized to request an item change.
- The archive explains that the existing wording reflects the record as created or an unresolved scholarly interpretation.
- The request is declined because the evidence does not establish a factual error or because the requested action falls outside that channel.
Historical examples published by NARA’s FY2003 records include a misidentified photograph, an incorrect capsule name, a mistaken microfilm location, and an exhibit statement about when a presidential remark was made. Those examples show corrections NARA made in particular cases; they do not promise the same result for another archive or another request. The examples page was last reviewed on August 15, 2016, so treat it as an illustration rather than current service guidance.
Follow up without restarting the case
If the archive publishes a response timeframe and it passes, reply in the same thread. Restate the submission date, exact page URL, record identifier, and case number, then ask for the status. If the request is rejected, ask which evidence or policy controlled the decision and whether a correction note, added context, or review by the responsible cataloger is possible. Keep the original page and all correspondence even if the visible text changes.
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- Sending a complaint to a search engine, social-media account, or unrelated general mailbox instead of the organization that controls the page.
- Providing a home page rather than the exact record URL and identifier.
- Describing the error without quoting the current wording or proposing a specific replacement.
- Attaching unsourced screenshots or secondary commentary while omitting the primary record that establishes the fact.
- Demanding deletion when the appropriate remedy is a corrected description or explanatory note.
- Asking an archive to rewrite an original historical document instead of correcting the metadata around it.
- Combining several unrelated records in one message so staff cannot determine which item each piece of evidence supports.
- Assuming that a submitted request guarantees acceptance, removal, or a particular turnaround time.
When the evidence is uncertain or interpretive
Not every disagreement is a catalog error. A blurry photograph may support several identities; historians may date an event differently; a record may use a contemporary name that later changed. In those cases, describe the evidence and its limits. Ask the archive to review the identification, mark it as uncertain, identify competing interpretations, or add a note linking the strongest sources. A narrowly framed request gives the institution options beyond accepting an unsupported replacement.
Quick Recap
A practical final checklist
- Is the problem in metadata, contextual text, or the original record?
- Do you have the exact URL, title, identifier, collection, and access date?
- Have you quoted the inaccurate wording exactly?
- Is your proposed wording limited to what your evidence proves?
- Can staff open or verify every supporting source?
- Did you use the archive’s designated channel and include a reply address?
- Did you save the request, attachments, receipts, and replies?
- Are you asking for a correction, contextual notice, or exclusion—the remedy that matches the problem?
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