Pass one — author sourcing
Every contributor supplies a source note for each checkable claim: a primary document, a regulation, or a dated record. Anecdote alone is not a source.
Editorial standards
How we decide what goes to print.
This page is the imprint's working method, published in full. It covers contributor selection, credential verification, fact-checking, sponsor independence, and how we correct ourselves when we get something wrong.
- Contributor selection
- Credential verification
- Fact-checking
- Sponsor independence
01 — Contributor selection
How contributors are chosen.
We start from the section, not from the person. Each city edition has a fixed list of categories; each category has a minimum credential bar; only then do we look for someone who clears it.
Placeholder note: replace the category list and credential bars below with the imprint's own requirements.
Fit to the section
A contributor writes only in categories they are credentialed for. Someone qualified to write about local transport rules is not asked to write about behaviour, and vice versa.
Documented local standing
Contributors must be able to show current, checkable standing in the city the edition covers — not merely familiarity with the subject in general.
No pay-to-write
Contributorship is never sold, bundled with sponsorship, or traded for distribution. Sponsors and contributors are separate lists with separate agreements.
Disclosed interests
Any commercial interest that touches the subject of a section must be declared in writing and is printed alongside the byline.
02 — Credential verification
Checked at source, and re-checked every edition.
A credential is verified by looking it up where it is issued — not by accepting a screenshot, a bio, or a business card.
01
Collect
We ask for the issuing body, the registration or licence number, and the current status.
02
Confirm
The verification desk checks the record against the issuing register and records the date.
03
Record
The check date and method are logged against the contributor's file and the edition.
04
Re-check
Every credential is re-verified before a new edition goes to print. Lapsed credentials pause a byline.
03 — Fact-checking
Three passes, and a checker who did not write it.
Fact-checking is a separate job with a separate person attached to it. If a claim cannot be confirmed, it is cut — not softened.
Pass two — independent check
A checker re-confirms names, dates, figures, quoted rules, and links against the source itself. Discrepancies go back to the author with the note attached.
Pass three — legal and scope read
A final read checks that nothing reads as medical, legal, or individual advice, and that the section stays inside the imprint's stated scope.
Corrections policy
Errors are corrected in the next printing and listed on a corrections page with the date and the nature of the change. Email the desk to report one.
Report a correction04 — Sponsor independence
Sponsors fund editions. They do not edit them.
Sponsorship keeps printing costs down and keeps the imprint independent of advertising. The boundary is written into every agreement.
What a sponsor may do
- Fund a print run, a reprint, or a free distribution round.
- Be credited by name on a fixed sponsor page and in the colophon.
- Receive bulk copies of the finished edition.
- Know the publication date in advance.
What a sponsor may never do
- Suggest, review, approve, or veto any editorial content.
- Appear inside a directory listing or be presented as a recommendation.
- Be described as a partner, endorser, or adviser of the imprint.
- Receive reader data, sign-up lists, or any personal information.
Disclosure practice
Every sponsored edition carries a short, plain-language disclosure on the colophon page stating who funded it, when, and what the funding covered. The same disclosure appears on the title's catalogue entry. Sponsorship never affects which cities we publish for or what a section concludes.
See sponsorship formats05 — Questions
Editorial questions we are asked most.
A named group of credentialed local professionals, each writing only the sections they are verified for, coordinated by our commissioning desk.
No. Listings are research records included at the editors' discretion. There is no paid placement, no ranking tier, and no sponsored entry.
Guidebooks and directories are re-checked on a set cycle and reissued when enough has changed. Data reports are published annually. The revision schedule is printed in each title.
No. We publish general reference material. For anything about your own animal, speak with a qualified professional who can examine them.
Email the checking desk with the title, edition, page, and the source you believe is correct. Corrections are logged and printed in the next edition.
Standards are only useful if you can see them.
If a claim in one of our titles does not hold up, tell us. The checking desk reads everything sent to it.