Put the source, coverage date and update date beside every darts data table

A published darts data table should answer three questions without making the reader hunt through the page:

1. Where did the figures come from?
2. What period or events does the table cover?
3. When was the table last checked or changed?

The clearest approach is to place a short status line immediately above the table and a linked source note immediately below it. Do not rely on the article’s publication date: a page can be old while its data is current, or newly edited while its table still stops several seasons earlier.

Use separate dates for separate meanings

“Updated” is too vague on its own. Use distinct labels for the different stages in a table’s history:

Field	What it tells the reader	Darts example
First published	When the table first appeared	First published 13 September 2026
Data through	The latest event, match or season included	Results through 20 September 2026
Last checked	When the sources were reviewed, even if no row changed	Sources checked 22 September 2026
Updated	When the figures, scope or method last changed	Updated 22 September 2026
Source	Who recorded or published the underlying evidence	Official event results and match statistics

The data through date is usually the most useful one for a darts follower because it shows whether the latest tournament is included. The updated date records substantive work on the table. Those dates may match, but they do not mean the same thing.

For a closed historical dataset, use a fixed coverage statement such as “Covers the 1978 to 2026 championships” rather than implying continuous updates. For a living record such as nine-dart finishes by player and year, state the exact latest event date included.

Put the status beside the table

A practical presentation is:

Data through: 20 September 2026 · Updated: 22 September 2026

Place the table next, followed immediately by a source note:

Source: Official competition result pages and match-statistics reports. Compiled by Dartboard Stats. See the methodology and correction notes below.

The dates and wording above demonstrate the format; they do not describe a particular dataset.

Keeping the source with the table helps preserve its context when the figures are quoted or captured. The Australian Government Style Manual recommends notes below a table for interpretation and sourcing, with the data source placed after the other notes (Style Manual).

Link to the precise result page, statistics sheet or dataset used—not merely the operator’s homepage. If one table combines several sources, identify which rows, columns or competition eras each source supports. “Various websites” does not give a reader enough information to reproduce the work.

Name the original source and the compiler

Darts tables often involve two separate roles:

• The original source publishes the result, match average, prize fund or ranking.
• The compiler standardises names, combines seasons, calculates durations or arranges records into a new table.

Both should be visible. “Source: PDC” is incomplete if the table also includes WDF or former BDO competitions. “Source: Dartboard Stats” is also incomplete when Dartboard Stats compiled the table but did not originate the underlying results.

For a table such as World Championship final averages by year, separate the governing bodies or competition eras where necessary. State whether an average was copied from an official match report, transcribed from another contemporary record or calculated from points scored and darts thrown. That distinction tells readers what they can independently verify.

W3C’s Data on the Web Best Practices treats metadata, provenance and data versioning as separate parts of publishing data. A concise source note, method statement and dated change log provide a readable equivalent for a darts table.

Record checks that produce no change

A table may be checked after a tournament without gaining a new row. Do not change the updated date merely to make the page look fresh. Instead use:

• Last checked: the most recent review of the relevant sources
• Updated: the most recent substantive change to the table
• Data through: the latest result that falls within the table’s scope

If a new result falls outside that scope, the coverage note should explain the boundary rather than forcing an unnecessary update.

When a correction is substantive, add a short dated note. For example:

22 September 2026: Corrected the event date in one row; totals were unaffected.

A visible note helps researchers reconcile a current table with a previously downloaded or quoted version.

Make the table understandable on its own

Source notes cannot repair an ambiguous table. Give each table a descriptive caption and clear row and column headings. Put units in the heading—such as “three-dart average” or “prize fund (£)”—and explain abbreviations and missing values in notes.

These choices also improve accessibility. W3C guidance says accessible data tables need markup that identifies header cells, data cells and their relationships; it describes a caption as a way to identify the table’s overall topic (WAI Tables Tutorial). The Australian Style Manual also advises against using colour as the only way to distinguish a record, winner or revised value.

A useful published table therefore keeps five pieces of context close at hand: a caption, defined columns, a coverage date, an update or check date, and a linked source note. That gives a casual reader a quick freshness check and gives a researcher a route back to the evidence.