Start with the village, not an assumed family connection

Keep the place name exactly as it appears on the photograph, letter or family note. Then record possible Greek and Albanian spellings separately. The municipality’s official 2019 community list is a useful locality reference; it is not a genealogy register and cannot prove that two similarly named people are related. Use our village directory to begin identifying a location, and the family-roots guide to organise documentary research.

If the evidence only says “Epirus” or “Northern Epirus”, preserve that regional description rather than assigning a village. Write “location not yet confirmed” until another record or a knowledgeable contributor provides evidence. Do not treat a guess as a correction to the original inscription.

Create a caption that another person can check

For each image, record the place, approximate date, people or activity shown, photographer if known, current holder of the original and the source of each identification. Separate a date written on the reverse from a date estimated by a relative. Preserve the original scan or file, and make a separate copy for publication; avoid filters that erase inscriptions, architectural details or faces.

A useful caption might read: “Family gathering, village not yet confirmed, probably the 1960s. Date estimated by the contributor from family recollection; photographer unknown.” This is an example of a caption format, not an identification of a photograph in our archive. If there are competing identifications, record both and explain what would resolve the uncertainty.

Check rights and privacy before sharing

Possessing a print does not necessarily mean you own the copyright. Identify who took the photograph and whether they or the relevant rights holder permit publication. State any agreed credit or reuse conditions. Material found on Facebook or another website is not automatically free to republish. If permission is unclear, contact the editorial team before sending it for public display.

Avoid publishing home addresses, identity documents, private correspondence or contact details of living people. Ask permission before identifying living relatives in a public caption. Tell us if the material concerns a child or a sensitive family story, so that publication and identification can be reviewed appropriately.

Record memories as testimony, not established fact

When a relative identifies a person or describes an event, note who provided the information, when the conversation took place and whether they witnessed it or heard it from someone else. Ask permission before recording or publishing their words. Compare recollections with dated documents where possible, and leave disagreements visible in your private research notes rather than silently choosing one version.

Contribute and keep a correction trail

Use the Greek-language diaspora submission page for photographs, or contact info@dropolis.net with a short description and a question about suitable material. Include the caption, provenance, rights information and uncertainties. Contributions are reviewed; sending a file does not guarantee publication. Keep your original files and a copy of the caption you submitted.

If you later find stronger evidence, send the relevant page URL, the proposed correction and its source. Our corrections policy explains how to raise an issue. The available site archive is a developing collection, not a complete record of all families, villages or diaspora communities; an absent name is not evidence that a person or event did not exist.

Resources and contributions

Source and scope

Bashkia Dropull: official community list (2019, PDF) is used for locality names, not diaspora population estimates.

Practical editorial guidance by Dropolis.net. Reviewed 8 October 2026. This guide does not claim to report interviews or fieldwork.