Transparency

Editorial policy

How we research and write, what we cite, where the evidence runs out, and the things we refuse to publish on this topic.

Our standards

1. Claims are sourced, or they're framed as opinion

   Where we state something factual about how people work — what the research says about choice overload, how interests develop, what distinguishes ordinary distress from a clinical condition — we link to the source. Where we're offering a judgement rather than a finding, we write it as one. We don't dress preferences up as science.

2. We say when the evidence is thin

   Questions about meaning, purpose and fulfilment are studied, but far less rigorously than the confidence of the internet suggests. Where a claim is widely repeated but weakly supported, we flag it rather than repeat it. A guide that says "the evidence here is genuinely mixed" is more useful than one that manufactures certainty.

3. We don't overstate what we are

   We're an editorial project, not a clinic. Our writers have backgrounds in psychology, journalism and education; they are not licensed clinicians. Every page that touches on mental health carries that limitation visibly, and we link to crisis resources rather than burying them.

4. We update, we don't quietly rewrite

   Guides carry a visible updated date. When we revise something substantively, the date changes. We don't rewrite articles to chase search rankings while pretending nothing changed.

5. Corrections are published

   If we get something wrong, we fix it and note the correction rather than silently editing. If you spot an error, tell us.

How we use sources

We prioritise, in this order: peer-reviewed research and academic literature; clinical guidance from recognised health bodies; books and long-form work by people with relevant expertise; and, last, our own reasoning — clearly marked as such.

We're cautious with a few specific categories, all common in this genre:

• Misattributed quotations. The internet is full of quotes attributed to people who never said them. We check attributions against a primary source where one exists, and where a quote is commonly attributed but unverified we label it "attributed to" rather than presenting it as fact.
• Statistics without a source. Claims like "91% of people experience X" circulate endlessly with no traceable origin. We don't repeat them.
• Studies reported secondhand. We read the abstract or the paper rather than relying on a summary in an article, because findings get distorted quickly in this field.
• Anecdote presented as evidence. Personal experience is valuable as illustration and worthless as proof. We keep them separate.

What we won't publish

• Advice that requires you to buy something in order to benefit from it.
• Content that presents ordinary life difficulty as a condition requiring treatment.
• Content that presents a clinical condition as a mindset problem.
• Hustle-culture framing — the implication that confusion is a productivity failure.
• Anything that might discourage someone from seeking professional help.
• Guest posts, sponsored placements, or paid links. There's no route to buying coverage here.

Our use of AI tools

We use automated tools for editing, formatting and checking, in the same way a publication uses spellcheck. Every guide is researched, written and reviewed by a person, and every claim is checked against its source by a person before publication. We don't publish generated content without human research and review, for the obvious reason that confident-sounding errors are the worst failure mode on a health-adjacent topic.

Advertising and independence

The site is currently unfunded beyond hosting costs. If advertising is introduced, it will be labelled, it will not influence editorial decisions, and this page and the privacy policy will be updated before anything goes live.

We do not accept payment for coverage, placement or links, and we don't run affiliate links to courses, coaching or supplements.

Contact

Questions, corrections and complaints: get in touch. We read everything, though we can't answer individual personal situations.

This policy was last updated on 31 August 2026.