bout Witness Statements
Witness statements are statements of authentication from independent* individuals who verify all relevant details of a record attempt. At attempts where Guinness World Records representatives are not present, these witnesses are essentially the eyes and ears of our Records Management Team. They are tasked with observing the entire record attempt, confirming whether all Guinness World Records guidelines have been followed, and providing a detailed account to us of precisely what took place. Without this independent verification, it is impossible for us to approve your record attempt.
*In a select few cases, it may not be possible for witnesses to be completely independent, especially in the case of certain medical records. Please consult your Records Manager or your Specific Guidelines to determine if this applies to your record attempt.
What does “independent” mean?
An independent witness is an individual who is neither affiliated with nor related to the individual or group attempting the record, the record organisers, participants, venue, or any persons involved with staging the event, nor should these individuals have anything to gain from the outcome of the attempt. The witnesses must also be independent of one another, except in those cases where officials from a specific professional body are required to verify the record, e.g. a national sporting organisation.
What must the statements include?
Except where specialised expert statements are required (please consult your Specific Guidelines), witness statements must be submitted on the templates provided by Guinness World Records in the templates document which was provided along with this guide.
• Contact details must be filled out completely. It is likely Guinness World Records will contact these witnesses to confirm details of their statements. Without valid contact details, a witness statement will not be accepted.
• All fields of the witness statement must be completed in detail, including the final section (“What did you see/measure/evaluate as a witness?”). All details of the event including precisely how the record was measured, who performed the measurement, confirmation that guidelines were understood and adhered to, and any other relevant information. Simply stating the final measurement is not sufficient.
• Statements must be completed by the witnesses themselves, in their own words. It is not acceptable to prepare a statement for the witnesses in advance of the attempt for them to sign. Nor is it acceptable for witnesses to prepare one joint statement together, as their separate, independent verification is essential. Any statements which are clearly pre-prepared or which are identical to one another will not be accepted.