Put the source, coverage date and last data update beside every handball table

A published handball table should answer three questions without making the reader search the page:

1. Where did these numbers come from?
2. Which matches or tournaments are included?
3. When did the table itself last change?

Put those answers directly above or below the table. A general references section at the end of an article can add detail, but it should not be the only way to identify the evidence behind the numbers.

Use three separate labels

“Updated” cannot do all the work. It may describe the article, the underlying source or the data calculation. Use distinct fields instead.

Label	What it tells the reader	Recommended wording
Source	Who produced the underlying records and where they can be checked	Name the federation, league or tournament and link to the specific results page, report or results book
Coverage	The last season, tournament or match included	State the competition and endpoint, not merely “current”
Table updated	When the displayed values were last recalculated or checked	Give an unambiguous date such as “22 September 2026”

For example, the note attached to a tournament table could read:

Source: Official federation final rankings and match records listed in the source notes. Coverage: Completed tournaments only. Table updated: 22 September 2026.

That line belongs next to the table. If the table is copied, printed or encountered before the supporting text, its status remains understandable.

The source date and update date are not interchangeable

Suppose a federation publishes a final tournament ranking in January. An editor checks that record and corrects a total in September. The table needs both pieces of information:

• the source’s tournament, edition or publication date identifies the underlying record;
• the September table-update date identifies the version displayed by the publication.

A page-level “last updated” date is different again. Fixing a spelling error in the introduction should not imply that every value in the table was rechecked. Google likewise distinguishes datePublished from dateModified for an article and recommends that visible labels such as “Published” and “Last updated” match the corresponding structured values (Google Search Central). Those article dates do not replace table-level provenance.

Identify the exact source, not just the governing body

“Source: IHF” or “Source: EHF” is usually too broad. A reader needs enough detail to find the same record: the competition, men’s or women’s event, season or year, and document or results page.

This matters especially in tables combining several competitions. The W3C’s Data on the Web guidance says publishers should provide the origin of data and disclose changes they have made. It also recommends assigning each dataset a version number or date and providing a version history (W3C Data on the Web Best Practices).

Use one table-level source note when every row comes from the same official series. If rows draw on different authorities or documents, add a Source column or use numbered notes tied to the relevant rows. Do not force readers to guess which citation supports which value.

The same principle applies to derived statistics. A goals-per-match column needs the source for match totals and a short method note showing the calculation. A nation ranking compiled from many final standings should say whether fourth-place matches, defunct teams, name changes or predecessor nations were treated in a particular way. Tables such as World Championship top-four finishes by nation need a coverage endpoint as well as source links because a completed tournament can change every cumulative total.

Date the data change, not every page edit

Change Table updated when at least one of these happens:

• a new match, season or tournament is added;
• an official result is corrected;
• the method or scope changes;
• a source is replaced and the values are rechecked;
• an error in a displayed value is fixed.

Do not change it for punctuation, layout or unrelated prose edits. If the table was reviewed but no value changed, use Table checked and retain the previous update date. That distinction prevents a fresh date from overstating the freshness of the data.

For a substantial correction, add a one-line history beneath the table:

Correction, 22 September 2026: One match was reassigned after the official final ranking was checked; affected totals were recalculated.

A change log does not need to preserve every typographical edit. It should record changes that could alter interpretation, comparison or reproduction.

Make the cited version recoverable

A source link may later display revised data. Where possible, cite a dated results book, archived report, downloadable file or source edition rather than an undated landing page. The FORCE11 data-citation principles recommend enough provenance and version information to identify the specific time slice or version supporting a claim (Joint Declaration of Data Citation Principles).

For a stable dated document, its title and edition are normally more useful than an access date. For a live results page that changes, add the date checked. If the publication transforms the official records—by standardising team names, combining tournament editions or calculating rates—state that the table is a compilation and explain the transformation briefly.

A compact publication standard

For most handball tables, this four-line block is enough:

• Source: Specific official record, linked.
• Coverage: Last included match, tournament or season.
• Table updated: Date values last changed.
• Method: Calculation or classification rule, when the figures are derived.

Add a correction note only when necessary. This gives a newcomer a clear freshness signal and gives a researcher enough information to locate, compare and verify the underlying record.