明朝撰修實錄制度上有不少缺陷，致使《明實錄》有許多先天性的不足，加上總裁之黨同伐異，編修官之肆意誣罔，《明實錄》有許多闕失，故成為明清史家重點考辨的對象。王世貞是明代第一位系統考辨《明實錄》的史家，《史乘考誤》針對《明太祖實錄》到《隆慶實錄》十部實錄的問題，進行了較系統的辨證，澄清了許多事實。同時開啓了後代對《明實錄》的考辨之風，錢謙益與潘檉章正是在王世貞考辨的基礎上，進一步深化對《明實錄》的考訂與研究的。

There are many defects in Mingshilu because Ming’s official compiling system has some basic problems and the Editor-in chiefs have sectional and controversial prejudices when they compiled Mingshilu. Therefore, many historians in Ming-Qing period paid much attention to do textual criticism on Mingshilu Wang Shizhen was the first historian who made thorough and serious textual studies about Mingshilu. He analyzed almost every compiled Mingshilu in his times from Ming Taizu Shilu to Ming Longqing Shilu in his book Shicheng Kaowu. The achievement of Wang Shizhen on the study of Mingshilu had been the foundation of Qian Qianyi and Pan Chengzhang's textual criticism on Mingshihi while Qian Qianyi and Pan Chengzhang made more penetrating critical studies on Mingshilu.