PolisWatch draws structured facts about offices, leaders and elections from open, citable sources such as Wikidata, and parliamentary composition from records like the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s Parline database. Index values come from research publishers — V-Dem and the Our World in Data republication of V-Dem-derived measures, among others. Every figure is meant to be traceable back to the body that produced it.
No single index is the final word. Each is a model of one definition, built with choices a reasonable researcher could make differently, so the responsible way to read indices is to compare several, note where they agree and disagree, and treat any one number as an estimate rather than a fact. PolisWatch shows the source and, where available, the uncertainty so readers can weigh confidence themselves.
Neutrality is a working method here, not a slogan. We describe institutions as mechanisms, present indices with their definitions and limitations, label contested facts as contested, and avoid language that praises or condemns any party, leader, ideology or country. The site reports what is recorded; it does not argue for outcomes.
For anything consequential, primary and official sources are the authority. Constitutions, election commissions, official gazettes and the publishers’ own methodology documents should be consulted before drawing conclusions; PolisWatch is a convenient starting point and cross-reference, not a substitute for those records.