Iran Transition Project Effective: 2026-03-05 Status: DRAFT — pending form implementation
Enable anyone — not just formal contributors — to submit source leads, factual corrections, critiques, and ideas to the project. This protocol defines two intake channels, consent requirements, triage rules, and processing standards.
Formal contributions (code, analytical content, data) still require the CLA and
pull request process described in CONTRIBUTING.md. This protocol covers everything
below that threshold.
For: General feedback, critique, methodology questions, ideas, non-sensitive corrections, public discussion of published briefs.
Visibility: Public. Anyone can read submissions and responses.
Categories:
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| Feedback & Critique | Methodological critique, analytical disagreements, framework suggestions |
| Corrections | Factual errors in published briefs or modules (non-sensitive) |
| Ideas | Research directions, case study suggestions, gap identification |
| Questions | Questions about the project, methodology, or analytical conclusions |
Do not use for: Source leads that could identify individuals inside Iran, unpublished documents, or any information the submitter does not want publicly attributed to them.
For: Source leads, sensitive corrections, unpublished documents, information the submitter wants to share without public attribution.
Visibility: Private. Submissions go to the project maintainer only. Not stored in the public repository.
URL: https://irantransitionproject.org/submit (pending implementation)
Form fields:
- Name (optional)
- Email (optional — required if submitter wants follow-up)
- Submission type: Source / Lead | Factual Correction | Sensitive Information | Other
- Content (free text)
- URL or document reference (optional)
- Language of source material (if applicable)
- Consent checkbox (required — see Consent Language below)
Backend: Form POSTs to a backend service (Formspree, Netlify Forms, or equivalent). Submissions route to the project maintainer's email or a private data store. No submission data is stored in the public GitHub repository.
GitHub's Terms of Service govern public posts. No additional consent required beyond GitHub's existing terms. The project README notes that discussion content may inform analytical work.
The following consent text must be accepted (checkbox) before submission:
Submission Terms
By submitting this form, you agree to the following:
- You grant the Iran Transition Project a non-exclusive, irrevocable, worldwide right to use the content of this submission in its analytical work, published under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- You represent that this submission does not violate any third-party rights and that you have the authority to share this information.
- If you provide contact information, it will be used only for follow-up questions about this submission and will not be shared publicly or with third parties.
- Anonymous submissions are accepted. If you do not provide contact information, the project cannot follow up with questions.
- The project may choose not to use your submission for any reason. Submission does not guarantee integration into published work.
- If your submission is used, the project may credit you by name only if you explicitly request attribution. Default is no attribution.
Safety note: If sharing information that could identify individuals at risk, consider whether submission creates danger for them or for you. The project takes reasonable precautions with private submissions but cannot guarantee security against state-level adversaries. Do not submit information that could endanger lives if intercepted.
Chat processes submissions at session start (or when directed by the user).
| Category | Action | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Source / Lead with URL | Verify source reliability. Check against gap registry (data/gaps.yaml). If relevant, file as research note or fill gap via Integration Request. |
Next analytical session |
| Factual correction | Check claim against ITB/ISA baseline. If confirmed, flag for integration. If disputed, note the dispute and evidence on both sides. | Next analytical session |
| Methodological critique | Evaluate against project methodology. If it identifies a real weakness, flag for framework update. If it reflects a misunderstanding, draft a response (public channel) or note (private channel). | Within 2 sessions |
| Idea / suggestion | Log in triage record. Assess relevance to current gaps or research priorities. Defer or integrate. | Best effort |
| Spam / advocacy / factional content | Discard. Brief note in triage log. No response unless public channel (then: short redirect to project standards). | Immediate |
| Sensitive information | Flag for user review before any processing. Chat does not independently act on sensitive submissions — user decides handling. | Immediate flag, user decides |
Submitted sources are evaluated using the project's existing 5-tier source taxonomy:
- Regime primary sources (KHAMENEI.IR tier)
- Human rights monitoring organizations
- Academic Iran studies
- Diaspora investigative outlets with transparent sourcing
- Unverified / single-source
Submissions that provide sources at tiers 1-3 receive priority processing. Tier 4-5 sources are logged but flagged for independent verification before integration into analytical work.
Each processed submission gets a one-line entry in a triage log:
YYYY-MM-DD | [channel] | [type] | [disposition] | [brief note]
Example:
2026-03-10 | private | source/lead | INTEGRATED → G17-01 | Farsi blog post with CM-302 delivery photos
2026-03-10 | public | correction | CONFIRMED → B05 S3 | Date error in Deal Cannot Hold timeline
2026-03-10 | private | sensitive | FLAGGED FOR USER | Claims firsthand knowledge of [redacted]
2026-03-10 | public | feedback | NOTED | Suggests adding economic modeling
2026-03-10 | public | spam | DISCARDED | Opposition group recruitment post
The triage log is stored privately (not in the public repo). Git-tracked analytical changes resulting from submissions follow the normal Integration Request protocol.
- Private submissions are never committed to the public repository.
- Submitter contact information is never published, shared, or included in analytical output.
- If a private submission leads to an analytical finding, the finding is attributed to the project's research, not to the submitter, unless the submitter explicitly requests attribution.
The project deals with a topic where sources may face physical danger.
- Chat does not process submissions that could identify at-risk individuals without explicit user (project owner) review and approval.
- Source descriptions in triage logs and Integration Requests must be sufficiently abstract to prevent identification. "Farsi blog post about CM-302" is acceptable. The author's name, location, or identifying details are not included in any project record.
- If a submission appears to come from someone in immediate danger, the project owner is flagged immediately. Chat does not attempt to respond or advise on personal safety matters.
Submissions that produce analytical findings follow the standard Chat-to-Code workflow:
- Chat triages submission during an analytical session
- If actionable: Chat writes staging files and/or appends an Integration
Request to
CLAUDE_SESSION_LOG.md - Code integrates per the normal protocol
- The submission itself is never referenced in the public commit — only the analytical finding it produced
- Enable GitHub Discussions on the repository (Categories: Feedback & Critique, Corrections, Ideas, Questions)
- Build and deploy private submission form at irantransitionproject.org/submit
- Configure form backend (email or private data store)
- Add submission links to README.md, website, and brief footers
- Create private triage log location (outside public repo)
- Test end-to-end: submission → triage → integration request → commit