Editorial Standards

Editorial standards are the written rules a publisher follows when it decides what to say, what to recommend and how to back it up. Ours apply to every site in the Janet Media Group portfolio. They are written as rules rather than a track record, because they describe how each site works from its first page onward.

Most of what makes a product guide worth reading is invisible from the outside: whether the pick was made before or after anyone looked at the commission, whether the site actually used the product, and where the facts came from. These standards make those things visible.

The Standards at a Glance

• Commissions never decide what gets recommended.
• Hands-on testing where possible, and a plain statement when a product was not tested.
• No invented test results, ratings, testimonials, credentials or expert panels.
• Primary sources first, named and linked.
• Affiliate links disclosed on the page where they appear.
• Errors corrected and noted on the page.
• Time-sensitive details dated, and pages reviewed and updated.
• A named owner, Janet H., accountable for all of it.

Editorial Independence

Editorial independence means the decision about what to recommend is kept apart from the question of who pays. On a Janet Media Group site, the order is fixed: first the pick, then the link. A site works out who a product is for, how it compares with the alternatives and where it falls short. Only after that is a link added, if there is one to add.

That means a product that earns a site nothing can still be the top pick, and a product with a generous commission can still be the one we tell you to skip. No manufacturer or retailer owns a Janet Media Group site, and none of them decides what our sites say about their products.

Where a site has any connection to a brand that a reader would want to know about, such as a commission or a product provided free of charge, that connection is disclosed where it is relevant, not left for you to find.

Hands-On Testing Where Possible

Hands-on testing is the most direct evidence a product guide can offer, and our sites use it where it is possible. When a site has used or tested a product, it says so specifically: what was used, in what conditions, and what was found. It does not stretch one product's testing into a blanket claim about a whole category.

Hands-on testing is not always possible, and we would rather say so than pretend otherwise. When a site has not tested a product, the page says that plainly and shows what the pick is based on instead: the manufacturer's specifications and manuals, published safety standards and recall notices, and reputable independent testing, named and linked. You get to judge how much weight each source deserves. The full method is in how we choose.

No Fabricated Claims

This one is simple, and it has no exceptions. A Janet Media Group site never publishes:

• test results from testing that did not happen,
• star ratings or scores it cannot explain,
• testimonials, quotes or reviews attributed to people who did not give them,
• credentials, awards or experience that no one has,
• an "expert panel," lab or testing team that does not exist.

If a page cannot back a claim, the claim comes out. A page that is honest about what it knows is more useful than one that sounds more certain than it is.

Sourcing and Citations

Facts come from primary sources wherever they exist: manufacturer spec sheets and manuals, regulators, and standards bodies. For children's products, that includes recall notices from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission; for sunscreen, guidance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. When a site relies on someone else's testing, it names the outlet and links to it. "Experts say" is not a source. Our sourcing rules go into detail.

Disclosure

The portfolio sites earn commissions through affiliate links, and every page with those links says so near the links themselves. That follows guidance from the Federal Trade Commission, which advises that a single disclosure on a home page is not enough and that "the closer the disclosure is to your recommendation, the better." Our affiliate disclosure explains how the model works in plain English.

Corrections

Mistakes happen, and how a publisher handles them says a lot about it. If you find an error on any Janet Media Group site, write to janet.hoyo@yahoo.com. When a page is wrong, it is corrected and the correction is noted on the page, so readers can see what changed and why. The details are on our corrections page.

Updates and Dates

Products change, prices move and items go out of stock. Our sites review their pages and update them when something important changes, and they date anything time-sensitive so you can see how current it is. A "last updated" date changes only when the content actually changes, never just to look fresh.

Who Is Accountable

Janet H., the owner of Janet Media Group, is accountable for these standards and for every site that follows them. You can read about her on her profile page and reach her through the contact page. If you think one of our sites is falling short of anything on this page, write to her.