Because the Liber Pontificalis was produced by minor officials of the papal court the evidence has been sifted for signs of bias, suppression, and falsification, all of which are found in quantity without invalidating the material as an historical source. The entries for the first three centuries are probably most useful to historians as examples of what was known in the 5th century about the early church. From the 4th century forward the compilers are on more secure ground, though there are still obvious discrepancies and mistakes. Textual examination suggests that there were two early versions before the siege of Rome in 546, after which the Liber Pontificalis was untouched. From the early 7th century (roughly the time of the pontificate of Honorius I) forward the entries are contemporary, added shortly after the death of each pope, and although reflecting biases of the authors are at least reasonably accurate.
The work of many compilers and authors over a long period complicated the process of creating usable scholarly editions. Louis Duchesne and Theodor Mommsen each produced editions (Mommsen’s is incomplete) at the end of the 19th century. Translations and further commentaries appeared throughout the 20th century devoted to discovering the levels of historicity in the entries.