How We Source and Cite

A product guide is only as good as the facts under it. Every site in the Janet Media Group portfolio follows the same sourcing rules, set out here, so that any factual claim on any of our pages can be traced back to where it came from. These rules sit inside our wider editorial standards and support the method described in how we choose.

The Order of Trust

When our sites look for a fact, they start at the top of this list and work down:

1. Manufacturer documentation. Specification sheets, manuals, installation guides and warranty terms, from the maker's own site wherever possible. This is where dimensions, weight limits, materials and care instructions come from.
2. Regulators and government agencies. Recall notices, safety alerts and consumer guidance, such as the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's recalls and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's sunscreen guidance.
3. Standards bodies. Published safety and performance standards that products are designed and certified against, cited by name and number where a page relies on them.
4. Named independent testing. Results from other publications or labs, named and linked, and clearly presented as someone else's findings.
5. Our own use. Where a site has used a product, its observations are reported as exactly that, with the conditions described.

Our own use sits last on this list not because it matters least, but because it answers a different question. A spec sheet tells you what a product is supposed to do; hands-on use tells you what it was like to live with. A good page uses both, and says which is which.

How Citations Appear

On a Janet Media Group site, a citation should let you check the claim in one click. That means:

• the source is named in the sentence, not hidden behind a vague "according to reports,"
• the link goes to the specific page, not just a home page,
• time-sensitive facts, like recalls, prices and availability, carry the date they were checked,
• quotes are exact, in quotation marks, with the source linked.

What We Don't Treat as a Source

Some things look like information but are not evidence. Our sites do not rely on:

• marketing copy, taglines or packaging claims that are not backed by a specification,
• unattributed claims such as "experts say" or "studies show" without a named study,
• a single star rating, or a pile of them, as the reason for a pick,
• anything that cannot be traced back to where it came from.

Customer reviews can add useful color, but they are weighed carefully; our method page covers how our sites weigh what other shoppers say.

When Sources Disagree

Sometimes a retailer listing gives one weight limit and the manual gives another, or two independent tests reach different conclusions. When that happens, the page says so. It generally favors the primary and most current source, explains the difference, and tells you which figure the recommendation relies on. Quietly picking the more flattering number is not allowed.

Category-Specific Sources

Some categories carry extra sourcing requirements:

• Children's products (strollers, car seats, kids' beds and bunk beds): a check of the CPSC recall database, and the relevant safety standards named where the pick relies on them.
• Sun care: reference to FDA sunscreen guidance for what labels such as broad spectrum and SPF mean.
• Anything with a load or weight rating (roof racks, cargo carriers, RV accessories): the manufacturer's published rating, and a reminder to check your own vehicle's limits in its manual.
• Anything with a disclosure question: the FTC's Endorsement Guides FAQ, which is also the basis of our affiliate disclosure.

Dates and Time-Sensitive Facts

Recalls get issued, products get discontinued and prices change constantly. Our sites date the facts most likely to go stale and update pages when something important changes. If you spot a fact that has gone out of date, our corrections page explains how to tell us.