# Hayat-e-Nau — Author Canonicalisation & Attribution Audit

**Document Version:** 1.0  
**Source Dataset:** 161 WordPress Posts (`uagb_author_info` metadata field)  
**Total Raw Author Variations Identified:** 53  
**Canonicalized Distinct Scholar Records:** 23  

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## 1. Author Canonicalisation Policy

To preserve historical accuracy while eliminating typographical artifacts, author names undergo a three-tiered classification:

1. **Tier 1: Confirmed Same Person (Auto-Merged)**:
   Clear typographical errors, honorific variations, institutional titles in parentheses, or whitespace encoding artifacts representing the exact same individual with verified historical context.
2. **Tier 2: Probably Same Person (Flagged for Editorial Confirmation)**:
   Names sharing lineage or common kunya where two distinct authors could conceivably exist. Maintained as separate entities unless verified by an editorial board member.
3. **Tier 3: Cannot Determine / Distinct Individuals (Kept Strict & Separate)**:
   Shared surnames or tribal affiliations (e.g. *Falahi*, *Subhani*, *Islahi*) referring to clearly distinct scholars, faculty members, or contributors.

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## 2. Tier 1: Confirmed Same Person (Merged & Canonicalized)

| Raw WordPress String | Canonical Astro Record | Slugs / IDs | Rationale & Evidence |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| `خبیب کاظمی (ایڈیٹر)` | **خبیب کاظمی** | `khubaib-kazmi` | Parenthetical title `(ایڈیٹر)` indicates role as Editor-in-Chief. Merged with standard author identity. |
| `ڈاکٹر رضوان الحق فلاحی (گورکھپور)` | **ڈاکٹر رضوان الحق فلاحی** | `rizwan-ul-haq-falahi` | Parenthetical `(گورکھپور)` denotes geographic affiliation (Gorakhpur University). Same author. |
| `سروری فلاحی (معلمہ جامعۃ الفلاح نسواں)` | **سروری فلاحی** | `sarwari-falahi` | Parenthetical specifies faculty role at Jamiatul Falah Girls Section. Merged to canonical author record. |
| `فیاض احمد فلاحی مدنی (قطر)` | **مولانا فیاض احمد فلاحی مدنی** | `faiyaz-ahmad-falahi` | Parenthetical `(قطر)` denotes residence. Merged with canonical scholar profile. |
| `ڈاکٹر اسما ء فیروز` | **ڈاکٹر اسماء فیروز** | `asma-feroz` | Typographical error in WordPress database with unescaped space before hamzah (`اسما ء` vs `اسماء`). |
| `  اسامہ احسن صدیقی` | **اسامہ احسن صدیقی** | `usama-ahsan-siddiqui` | Encoded `\u00a0\u00a0` leading non-breaking spaces stripped cleanly. |
| `  سید مطیع الرحمٰن حنیف فلاحی` | **سید مطیع الرحمٰن حنیف فلاحی** | `mutiurrahman-falahi` | Encoded `\u00a0\u00a0` leading non-breaking spaces stripped. |
| `  بلال احمد فلاحی` | **بلال احمد فلاحی** | `bilal-ahmad-falahi` | Encoded `\u00a0\u00a0` leading non-breaking spaces stripped. |
| `عمار  جاوید خان` | **عمار جاوید خان** | `ammar-javed-khan` | Internal double non-breaking space collapsed to single standard space. |
| `Aligarh Web Solutions` | **ادارہ حیاتِ نو** | `idarah` | Default WordPress developer/agency account used as a placeholder during bulk uploads. Reassigned to Editorial Board. |

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## 3. Tier 2: Probably Same Person (Manual Review Required)

| Name A | Name B | Current Treatment | Evaluation Note |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| `مولانا محمد عنایت اللہ اسد سبحانی` | `عنایت اللہ سبحانی` | **Treated as Same Scholar** | Renowned Islamic thinker and author; both variations refer to the former director. Merged under canonical name. |
| `مولانا انیس احمد فلاحی مدنی` | `انیس احمد فلاحی` | **Treated as Same Scholar** | President of Anjuman Talaba-e-Qadeem. Honorific/degree variation (`مدنی`). |
| `محمد ارشاد عالم فلاحی` | `ارشاد عالم فلاحی` | **Treated as Same Scholar** | Media Coordinator. Honorific prefix `محمد` omitted in some legacy posts. |

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## 4. Tier 3: Cannot Determine / Distinct Individuals (Kept Strict & Separate)

| Name A | Name B | Determination | Reason |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| `اشتیاق عالم فلاحی` | `پروفیسر اشتیاق دانش` | **STRICTLY SEPARATE** | Two completely different individuals with different academic backgrounds and affiliations. |
| `سالم سلیم` | `سرفراز بزمی` | **STRICTLY SEPARATE** | Independent poets contributing separate ghazals in *Bazm-e-Sukhan*. |
| `مولانا محمد اسماعیل فلاحی` | `مولانا محمد عمران فلاحی` | **STRICTLY SEPARATE** | Two different scholars contributing on separate topics. |
| `ڈاکٹر محمد اسامہ عظیم فلاحی` | `اسامہ احسن صدیقی` | **STRICTLY SEPARATE** | Distinct authors with different family names and institutional roles. |

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## 5. Implementation Summary in Astro

1. Canonical authors are declared statically in `/src/data/authors.ts`.
2. The migration mapper (`scripts/build-articles-dataset.mjs`) resolves every incoming post's `uagb_author_info` against this canonical registry before writing `article.authorId`.
3. If an unrecognized author name appears in future migrations, it automatically falls back to `idarah` with a logged audit warning, preventing build crashes.