Editorial Standards & Fact-Checking

Last updated: 5 October 2026

Readers trust Something Navy to explain human behavior, relationships and modern life accurately. These are the standards we hold ourselves to, and how we put things right when we get something wrong.

Our principles

How we choose sources

• We prefer primary sources: peer-reviewed studies, official statistics, government and academic publications, and direct interviews with experts.
• We link to the sources behind our stories wherever possible, so readers can check them.
• We describe research accurately, including its limits, such as small or unrepresentative samples, findings that have not been replicated, or results that show a correlation rather than a cause.
• We do not present a single study as settled fact, and we look for the wider body of evidence on a topic.
• We do not publish anonymous claims as fact.

How we check a story

1. Research. The writer gathers and reads the original sources rather than relying on summaries or other news reports.
2. Drafting. Every factual claim, figure and quote is tied to a source.
3. Writer’s edit. The writer named in the byline edits the draft, checks it against the sources and takes responsibility for what it says.
4. Editorial review. A second person, one of our editors, reads every article before it is published, checking facts, figures, names, dates and quotes against the original sources. Writers never review their own work.
5. Headline check. We make sure the headline and summary reflect what the article actually says, without exaggeration.
6. Publication and review. After publication, we monitor feedback and revisit the story if new information comes to light.

We never invent quotes, experts, case studies or testimonials. Where we use an illustrative example, we say clearly that it is one. Our charts and graphics are built from the figures in the sources we cite and checked against those sources.

Health, psychology and money

Some of our topics could affect a reader’s health, wellbeing or finances. For these stories we take extra care to rely on established, reputable sources and to avoid sensational or alarming language. These articles are for general information only and are not a substitute for professional advice. See our Disclaimer.

Updating our stories

Research moves on. We review older articles and update them when new evidence or information becomes available. Where an update significantly changes a story, we say so on the article. Updated articles show both the original publication date and the date of the update, with a short note explaining what changed and who reviewed it. We only mark an article as updated when its content has changed in a meaningful way.

Corrections

Independence and advertising

Our editorial decisions are made independently. Advertisers, sponsors and partners have no say over what we write, and we do not accept payment for favorable coverage. Any sponsored content will be clearly labelled as such.

Questions about these standards? Contact us at [email protected].