A complete and self-consistent evaluation of XPS spectra of TiN

► Analysis of XPS spectra of single-crystalline and oxygen-free titanium nitride using AR-XPS. ► Complete and precise data evaluation of the Ti 2p spectrum of titanium nitride. ► Quantification of the shake-up energy and shake-up intensity. ► Discussion on the origin of the shake-up feature in Ti 2p in titanium nitride.