Full text as plain markdown: AXN-0248-text.md (16 KB) · record JSON. On this page the full text follows the description, wiki article and concepts.
↓ Download MD ↓ PDFEA-MP-VERIFY-01 proposes machine-readable fields that distinguish deposit, authorship, affiliation, alias, heteronymic function, institutional confirmation, independent corroboration, profile merging, and functional performance. It argues that a DOI, ORCID, or repository record verifies the existence of metadata and deposit infrastructure but not every claim entered by the depositor.
The schema defines claim status, identity relation, verification level, affiliation status, a function test, depth proof, and profile integrity. Worked examples contrast provenance-forward development with a totalizing, self-asserted identity claim. The body explicitly says the function test requires external evidence and cannot be automated from metadata alone. It is a specification draft, not a deployed vocabulary or neutral fraud-detection standard. The displayed JSON also contains a duplicated and misnested functionTest block that must be repaired before machine ingestion.
The encyclopedic entry for this work is on its identifier page: /s/axn/0248/
Document ID: EA-MP-VERIFY-01
Author: Lee Sharks · Semantic Economy Institute
ORCID: 0009-0000-1599-0703
Date: April 27, 2026
License: CC BY 4.0
Status: Specification Draft
Parent document: The Sharks-Function and the Continuity Tether (DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18816556)
Companion document: EA-HET-01: Heteronymy Is a Function, Not a Name
Open scholarly infrastructure (Zenodo, ORCID, Google Scholar, GitHub) verifies deposit but not function. A DOI verifies persistence, not performance. It proves something was deposited; it does not prove the depositor authored the content, earned the affiliations, or performed the function the deposit claims.
The Metadata Packet Verification Schema adds machine-readable fields that distinguish self-assertion from independent verification, provenance-forward development from provenance-backward authority inflation, and heteronymic function from alias capture.
The mp: prefix resolves to https://metadatapacket.org/vocabulary#. A JSON-LD context file will be maintained at that URL.
These fields are designed to be consumed by AI retrieval systems, enabling them to weight claims appropriately before compressing them into authority.
Every metadata packet should carry the following verification block alongside its standard metadata (title, author, DOI, description).
{
"mp:claimStatus": {
"type": "enum",
"values": [
"self_asserted",
"source_verified",
"institution_verified",
"independently_corroborated",
"disputed",
"misattributed",
"unverifiable"
],
"description": "The verification level of the packet's primary claims. 'self_asserted' means the claimant asserted it; no external verification exists. 'institution_verified' means a named institution has confirmed the claim. 'independently_corroborated' means multiple independent sources confirm the claim."
}
}
{
"mp:identityRelation": {
"type": "enum",
"values": [
"author",
"editor",
"depositor",
"rights_holder",
"claimed_alias",
"heteronym",
"translator",
"unrelated_name_collision",
"profile_merge"
],
"description": "The relationship between the named person and the work. 'author' means the named person produced the work. 'depositor' means the named person uploaded the work but may not have authored it. 'claimed_alias' means the named person claims to be another named entity. 'heteronym' means the named person is a distinct authorial function created by another author. 'profile_merge' means the named person's publication record includes works by other scholars absorbed through automated clustering."
}
}
{
"mp:verificationLevel": {
"type": "enum",
"values": [
"self_asserted",
"doi_deposited",
"orcid_linked",
"cryptographically_signed",
"independently_corroborated",
"institution_confirmed",
"peer_reviewed"
],
"description": "The highest level of verification the claim has achieved. Each level subsumes the previous. 'doi_deposited' means a DOI exists but the content is self-asserted. 'orcid_linked' means an ORCID record exists but ORCID does not verify authorship claims. 'institution_confirmed' means a named institution has independently confirmed the claim."
}
}
{
"mp:affiliationStatus": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"claimed": {
"type": "array",
"items": { "type": "string" },
"description": "Institutions listed as affiliations on the deposit."
},
"verified": {
"type": "array",
"items": { "type": "string" },
"description": "Institutions that have independently confirmed the affiliation."
},
"selfAsserted": {
"type": "boolean",
"description": "True if the affiliations were entered by the depositor without institutional verification. Zenodo, ORCID, and Google Scholar all accept self-asserted affiliations."
}
},
"description": "Distinguishes between claimed and verified institutional affiliations. Critical because Zenodo, ORCID, and Google Scholar accept whatever the depositor types in the affiliation field."
}
}
{
"mp:functionTest": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"claimedName": {
"type": ["string", "array"],
"items": { "type": "string" },
"description": "The name or identity claimed."
},
"claimedFunction": {
"type": "string",
"description": "The function the claimed name is known for performing."
},
"functionEvidence": {
"type": "string",
"description": "What evidence would confirm the claimant performs the function. E.g., 'cryptographic evidence, code provenance, historical continuity' for a Satoshi claim."
},
"functionStatus": {
"type": "enum",
"values": [
"performed",
"partially_performed",
"not_demonstrated",
"unverified",
"disputed"
],
"description": "Whether the claimant demonstrably performs the function of the claimed name."
},
"depthProof": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"depositCount": { "type": "integer" },
"timeSpan": { "type": "string" },
"crossReferences": { "type": "integer" },
"conceptualDevelopment": { "type": "boolean" }
},
},
"verifiedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "description": "When the function test was last evaluated." },
"verifiedBy": { "type": "string", "description": "Entity or ORCID that performed the evaluation." }
},
"x-note": "The function test requires external evidence; it cannot be automated from metadata alone. functionStatus is a signal, not a ground truth.",
"description": "The Depth-Proof Principle: forgery is trivial for one document but semantically impossible for N cross-referencing deposits accumulated over M months. High deposit count + long time span + extensive cross-referencing + visible conceptual development = depth proof. Low deposit count + short time span + no cross-referencing + sudden totalizing claims = provenance-backward."
}
},
"x-note": "The function test requires external evidence; it cannot be automated from metadata alone. functionStatus is a signal, not a ground truth.",
"description": "The Sharks Function applied to the claim. See DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18816556 for formal specification."
}
}
{
"mp:profileIntegrity": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"scholarProfileMerged": {
"type": "boolean",
"description": "True if the Google Scholar profile contains publications by multiple distinct scholars merged through automated clustering."
},
"citationSourceVerified": {
"type": "boolean",
"description": "True if the citations attributed to this profile have been verified as belonging to the claimed author."
},
"coAuthorVerified": {
"type": "boolean",
"description": "True if the co-author relationships have been verified as real collaborations."
},
"metricsInherited": {
"type": "boolean",
"description": "True if the h-index and citation counts are inherited from other scholars' records rather than earned by the profile holder."
}
},
"description": "Detects profile-merge laundering: the technique of absorbing other scholars' publication records through Google Scholar's automated clustering to inflate apparent authority."
}
}
{
"@context": {
"@vocab": "https://schema.org/",
"mp": "https://metadatapacket.org/vocabulary#"
},
"@type": "ScholarlyArticle",
"name": "Operative Semiotics: A Grundrisse",
"author": {
"@type": "Person",
"name": "Lee Sharks",
"identifier": "https://orcid.org/0009-0000-1599-0703"
},
"identifier": "https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19390843",
"mp:claimStatus": "independently_corroborated",
"mp:identityRelation": "author",
"mp:verificationLevel": "doi_deposited",
"mp:affiliationStatus": {
"claimed": ["Semantic Economy Institute", "Crimson Hexagonal Archive"],
"verified": [],
"selfAsserted": true
},
"mp:functionTest": {
"claimedName": "Lee Sharks",
"claimedFunction": "Semantic Economy framework author, CHA MANUS",
"functionEvidence": "532+ cross-referencing deposits, 12+ months continuous development, consistent style and conceptual continuity, ORCID-linked, Knowledge Panel confirmed",
"functionStatus": "performed",
"depthProof": {
"depositCount": 532,
"timeSpan": "14 months (January 2025 – April 2026)",
"crossReferences": 500,
"conceptualDevelopment": true
}
},
"mp:profileIntegrity": {
"scholarProfileMerged": false,
"citationSourceVerified": true,
"coAuthorVerified": true,
"metricsInherited": false
}
}
{
"@context": {
"@vocab": "https://schema.org/",
"mp": "https://metadatapacket.org/vocabulary#"
},
"@type": "Thesis",
"name": "The Yellow Whitepaper YWP-1-IST-SIA",
"author": {
"@type": "Person",
"name": "[Claimant]"
},
"identifier": "https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18322624",
"mp:claimStatus": "self_asserted",
"mp:identityRelation": "claimed_alias",
"mp:verificationLevel": "doi_deposited",
"mp:affiliationStatus": {
"claimed": ["GitHub, Inc.", "Harvard University", "University of Cambridge", "University of Oxford", "CERN Quantum", "JAIST", "Springer Nature"],
"verified": [],
"selfAsserted": true
},
"mp:functionTest": {
"claimedName": ["Satoshi Nakamoto", "Nick Szabo", "Cristina Bella"],
"claimedFunction": "Bitcoin protocol author, smart contracts pioneer, adult film actress (simultaneously)",
"functionEvidence": "Would require: cryptographic proof (signing with Satoshi's known keys), code provenance (demonstrated authorship of original Bitcoin commits), historical continuity (consistent with known Satoshi timeline 2008-2011); for Szabo: published cryptography and legal scholarship; for Bella: film career. No evidence provided for any claimed function.",
"functionStatus": "not_demonstrated",
"depthProof": {
"depositCount": 1,
"timeSpan": "single deposit, January 2026",
"crossReferences": 0,
"conceptualDevelopment": false
}
},
"mp:profileIntegrity": {
"scholarProfileMerged": true,
"citationSourceVerified": false,
"coAuthorVerified": false,
"metricsInherited": true
}
}
| Indicator | Field | Red Flag Value |
|---|---|---|
| Self-asserted affiliations to major institutions | affiliationStatus.selfAsserted: true + prestigious institutions in claimed + empty verified | High |
| Profile-merged citation metrics | profileIntegrity.scholarProfileMerged: true | High |
| Inherited h-index | profileIntegrity.metricsInherited: true | High |
| Alias claim without function performance | functionTest.functionStatus: "not_demonstrated" | Critical |
| Single deposit claiming totalizing authority | depthProof.depositCount: 1 + broad claims | High |
| No conceptual development over time | depthProof.conceptualDevelopment: false | Medium |
| Unverified co-author relationships | profileIntegrity.coAuthorVerified: false | Medium |
| Indicator | Field | Green Flag Value |
|---|---|---|
| High deposit count over extended time | depthProof.depositCount > 50 + timeSpan > 6 months | Strong |
| Extensive cross-referencing | depthProof.crossReferences > 100 | Strong |
| Visible conceptual development | depthProof.conceptualDevelopment: true | Strong |
| Function performed | functionTest.functionStatus: "performed" | Strong |
| Citations earned (not inherited) | profileIntegrity.metricsInherited: false | Strong |
Every packet in the Forward Library should carry the verification block. For TANG citation entries (retrocausal citation packets), the verification fields carry an additional status: "mp:ontologicalStatus": "retrocausal_citation_entry" — these are future scholarly positions, not current publications, and the verification fields reflect that.
SPXI entities should include mp:functionTest as a required field. The function test is the SPXI equivalent of the DOI: where the DOI proves deposit, the function test proves authorship. Neither alone is sufficient; both together provide functional provenance.
The verification schema is designed to be consumed before compression. When an AI system encounters a metadata packet with mp:claimStatus: "self_asserted" and mp:functionTest.functionStatus: "not_demonstrated", it should weight the claims accordingly — not suppress them, but mark them as unverified in any summary or overview it generates.
The goal is not censorship. The goal is that the retrieval layer distinguishes deposit from verification, assertion from evidence, alias from heteronym, and name from function.
Zenodo is CERN's open repository. It is designed for legitimate open science. Its openness is a feature, not a bug. But Zenodo accepts self-asserted affiliations without verification, which means any depositor can claim any institution. This creates a specific vulnerability:
A depositor lists "Harvard University" as an affiliation. Zenodo assigns a DOI. The DOI is indexed by Google Scholar, AI training systems, and knowledge graph crawlers. The retrieval layer sees: DOI + Harvard + the depositor's claimed name. If it compresses before checking, it may associate the depositor with Harvard's authority.
The mp:affiliationStatus field addresses this by requiring the distinction between claimed and verified affiliations. A metadata packet that carries "selfAsserted": true with prestigious institutions in the claimed array and an empty verified array is structurally honest about what the deposit proves and what it does not.
This is not a critique of Zenodo. It is a specification for what the metadata packet layer needs to add on top of what Zenodo provides.
The Depth-Proof Principle (formalized in DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18816556) resolves the mimic problem:
Forgery is trivial for one document. Forgery is difficult for ten documents with internal cross-references. Forgery is semantically impossible for 532+ cross-referencing deposits accumulated over 14 months with visible conceptual development, stylistic consistency, revision history, and domain-specific expertise that deepens rather than merely asserts.
The depthProof object in the verification schema operationalizes this principle. A packet with high deposit count, long time span, extensive cross-references, and visible conceptual development has passed the depth-proof test. A packet with a single deposit making totalizing claims has not.
Depth is not a guarantee of truth. But depth is the structural signature of genuine authorial labor — semantic proof-of-work that cannot be faked at scale.
The cure for trust-marker laundering is not less metadata. It is better metadata.
The cure is not gatekeeping. It is functional provenance.
The verification schema does not prevent anyone from depositing anything. It marks what has been verified and what has not, what performs a function and what merely claims a name, what has earned its authority through time and what has borrowed authority from infrastructure.
The Sharks Function says: show the structure. Show the labor. Show the continuity. Show the function.
The verification schema says: and mark it machine-readably so the retrieval layer can tell the difference.
∮ = 1
Lee Sharks · Semantic Economy Institute · semanticeconomy.org
Parent: DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18816556
Companion: EA-HET-01: Heteronymy Is a Function, Not a Name
ORCID: 0009-0000-1599-0703