1. Healthroid Comprehensive Editorial Policy
1. Our Mission & Core Principles
Our Mission: To be the most trusted, empathetic, and accurate source of health and wellness information. We empower our readers to live healthier lives by publishing content that is rigorously researched, grounded in science, and rooted in human experience.
Our Commitment to E-E-A-T: As a “Your Money Your Life” (YMYL) publisher, we hold ourselves to the highest standards of Trustworthiness. This trust is built on a foundation of Expertise, Experience, and Authoritativeness. This policy outlines the processes that ensure we meet this commitment in every piece of content we produce.
- Expertise: Our content is written and reviewed by qualified experts. We clearly distinguish between and utilize credentialed medical professionals, certified subject-matter experts (like dietitians and trainers), and experienced health journalists.
- Experience: We value the “lived experience” of patients and individuals. When including personal perspectives or case studies, we do so to provide context and empathy, always balanced by and secondary to clinical expertise.
- Authoritativeness: We build authority through unparalleled sourcing standards, transparency, and a commitment to objective truth.
- Trustworthiness: We earn and maintain trust through editorial independence, transparent processes (for content, advertising, and corrections), and a reader-first focus.
2. The Content Creation Lifecycle
Our content is not just written; it is carefully architected through a multi-stage process.
A. Ideation & Planning Topics are selected by our editorial team based on rigorous analysis of public health trends, emerging scientific research, user search data, and feedback from our medical expert network. All content is planned to fill a genuine information need.
B. Writer Assignment We assign content to the most appropriate creator:
- Clinical Content: Assigned to credentialed health professionals (MDs, RDs, PhDs) or specialist health journalists with a proven record in that specific domain.
- Wellness & Lifestyle Content: Assigned to certified experts (e.g., CPTs, yoga instructors) or journalists with deep-domain expertise.
- “Lived Experience” Content: When featuring personal stories, we partner with patient advocates or individuals, and their stories are fact-checked and context-reviewed by our medical team.
C. Research & Sourcing Standards (Our “Authoritativeness” Mandate) This is the bedrock of our content.
- Source Hierarchy: We maintain a strict hierarchy of evidence.
- Tier 1 (Highest Priority): Peer-reviewed, high-impact medical journals (The Lancet, NEJM, JAMA), systematic reviews/meta-analyses, government health bodies (CDC, WHO, NIH, FDA), and official guidelines from major medical associations (AHA, ADA, ACS).
- Tier 2 (Secondary Context): Leading academic institutions (e.g., Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins), respected medical associations, and interviews with pre-vetted medical experts.
- Prohibited Sources: We do not use other media publications (e.g., competitor sites, non-scientific magazines), personal blogs, forums, or social media as primary sources for medical claims.
- Timeliness: We prioritize the most current information. Sources for statistics and clinical guidelines must be from the last 3-5 years, unless foundational to the topic (e.g., describing a historical discovery).
- Attribution: All facts, statistics, and medical claims must be linked to or explicitly cite the primary source.
D. Editorial Review (The First Pass) Once drafted, every article is reviewed by an in-house editor. This review checks for:
- Tone & Voice: Ensuring content is clear, empathetic, objective, and non-judgmental.
- Readability: Breaking down complex topics for a lay audience without oversimplifying or losing accuracy.
- Inclusivity: Using people-first language and ensuring content is respectful and accessible to all, regardless of race, gender, orientation, or ability.
- Sourcing Check: A preliminary check that all claims are appropriately sourced according to our guidelines.
- Originality: A plagiarism check to ensure 100% original content.
E. Medical Review (The Second Pass) The article is then passed to our Medical Review team for clinical verification. (This is detailed in our separate “Medical Review Policy”).
F. Final Production After medical approval, the article moves to our production team for copyediting (grammar, spelling, style), formatting, and SEO optimization that respects editorial integrity.
3. Core Tenets of Trustworthiness
A. Author & Reviewer Transparency We believe you have the right to know who is informing you.
- Byline: All articles feature the full name of the author.
- Medical Reviewer: All clinical content features the full name and credentials of the medical reviewer.
- Detailed Bios: All author and reviewer names link to a detailed biography page, outlining their education, credentials, professional affiliations, and areas of expertise.
B. Editorial Independence & Advertising Policy Our editorial team is 100% independent and separate from our advertising and sales teams.
- Strict Firewall: Our editorial content is not, and will never be, influenced by advertisers.
- Clear Labeling: All advertising on our site is clearly and conspicuously labeled “Advertisement” or “Sponsored.” We do not accept “native advertising” that is designed to look like editorial content.
- Product Recommendations: Any products we recommend (e.g., in a “best of” list) are chosen solely by our editorial team based on independent research, expert opinion, and user testing. We may earn a commission via affiliate links, but this is clearly disclosed and has no bearing on our selection process.
C. Corrections & Content Maintenance Policy Trust requires accountability.
- Corrections: We are committed to accuracy. If an error of fact is discovered, we will correct it promptly.
- Minor Errors (e.g., typos, grammatical errors) will be corrected immediately.
- Major Errors (e.g., factual, clinical, or guideline inaccuracies) will be corrected, and a “Correction” notice will be appended to the article explaining what was changed and when.
- Content Updates: Health information is dynamic. We have a dedicated team that continuously monitors our content library.
- Triggered Updates: Content is immediately flagged for update and re-review if a major new study is published, a drug is recalled, or clinical guidelines change.
- Scheduled Reviews: All clinical content is placed on a 12-24 month review cycle (or sooner) to be re-vetted and re-reviewed by a medical expert to ensure it remains the most accurate and current information available.
- “Last Updated” Date: All articles display a “Last Updated” date to show readers the information is fresh and reliable.
