House Rules for Writing

A small team can drift without noticing. One writer gets enthusiastic about a supplement, another starts quoting figures from memory, and within a year the site sounds like everything else. These house rules are how we keep ourselves in check. They are pinned above every draft, and we would like you to hold us to them.

Rules about claims

1. No made-up numbers. If a percentage, a dose or a step target appears in an article, it has to come from guidance we can point to. If we cannot pin a figure down, we describe the idea in words instead.
2. No borrowed authority. We do not invent experts, quote people we have never spoken to or hint that a doctor reviewed something when none did.
3. Possibility, not promise. Words like may, can and for some people are there on purpose. Bodies differ, and an honest article admits it.
4. Medicines are off limits. We never suggest starting, stopping or adjusting a prescribed medicine, and we flag interactions as a reason to talk to a pharmacist.

Rules about tone

• Write for a tired reader on a busy day. Short paragraphs, clear headings, one idea at a time.
• No shaming about weight, fitness, age or sleep. Encouragement works better than guilt, and it is kinder.
• Explain any technical term the first time it appears, or leave it out.
• Skip the hype words. Nothing is a miracle, a hack or a secret.

Rules about products

Some of our articles mention supplements, equipment or services, and a few older pieces link to businesses. A mention is never a paid placement, and we do not accept free products in return for coverage. Where a product is discussed, we describe what it is meant to do, note the limits of what is known and suggest checking with a professional before buying. You will see this approach in pieces such as our look at creatine and the question of when people take ashwagandha.

How a piece moves from draft to page

1. A topic is picked, usually from a reader question or a gap in an existing theme.
2. The writer reads public health guidance and reliable general sources first, before drafting anything.
3. The draft is written in plain language with the cautions built into the text, not tacked on at the end.
4. A second person reads it specifically hunting for overstatement, missing caveats and sentences that sound like a diagnosis.
5. After publication, the article stays open to correction for as long as it is on the site.

Corrections

When we get something wrong, we fix the article itself rather than quietly hoping no one noticed. Small slips, such as a typo or a clumsy sentence, are simply corrected. If an error changed the meaning of a passage, we rewrite that part and adjust the page's modified date. Reports reach us through the contact page, and we are grateful for every one.

Where these rules come from

Nowhere grand. They grew out of the reasons we started the project, which you can read on Meet the Project, and out of the limits we set ourselves in the health information notice.