Editorial standards

Our aim is to make a subject more understandable without making the evidence appear simpler than it is. Each story should have a clear question, sources appropriate to its claims and a reason for the reader to consider the conclusion.

Sources and uncertainty

We link to original research, official documents and other relevant reporting. Source dates, geographic coverage and study populations matter. An estimate is identified as an estimate. A result from one setting is not treated as proof about every setting. Analysis is our interpretation of the evidence and is open to challenge.

AI assistance and illustrations

We use AI assistance in researching, drafting and creating editorial imagery. Factual claims require source checks. Images generated with AI are labeled as illustrations and must not imply that they document an actual person, place or event. Explanatory graphics use cited data or clearly identified illustrative models. They are not measurements inferred from a generated image.

What we do not invent

We do not invent quotations, interviews, first-person reporting, product tests, author biographies or a publication history. Articles carry an Editorial Desk byline. A hypothetical example is identified as hypothetical.

Independence and corrections

Commercial interests do not establish whether a claim is true. Any sponsored editorial arrangement must be identified on the relevant content. We correct material factual errors and explain substantive revisions. See our corrections policy.