Editorial Methodology
How Reviewstown Researches Technology
The label on an article should match the evidence behind it. Source-led coverage is not presented as first-party product use.
The editorial workflow
- Topic and overlap check. Existing Reviewstown pages and current search results are checked before drafting.
- Evidence map. The research set should include official material, independent sources, and relevant community evidence when available.
- Content type decision. Review, Hands-on, and Tested labels require documented first-party evidence. Other work is labeled as analysis, an explainer, a guide, or news analysis.
- Original contribution. The brief must identify what the page adds beyond its sources.
- Draft and validation. Claims are attributed and checked for unsupported experience language, weak source diversity, duplication, and structural repetition.
- Publication and maintenance. The site operator makes the publication decision. Material errors should be corrected, and dates should not be changed only to make old content appear new.
How to interpret the evidence
| Evidence type | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Official claim | A statement from a manufacturer, regulator, standards body, or official document. It may still need independent verification. |
| Independent evidence | A named third-party test, measurement, or report that applies to the product and conditions discussed. |
| Community evidence | Attributed owner reports or recurring complaints. These can identify patterns but are not controlled measurements. |
| Editorial inference | A reasoned interpretation of available evidence, stated as analysis rather than measured fact. |
First-party testing
Reviewstown does not routinely receive or physically test hardware. A first-party test should identify the tester, method, conditions, product or software version, and inspectable evidence. Without that package, the article should not claim Hands-on, Tested, or personal product experience.
AI-assisted production
AI tools may support research organization, query expansion, drafting, and consistency checks. They do not create evidence and are not factual sources. Publication still requires source review and an accountable decision by the site operator.
Corrections
Send the article URL, the disputed statement, and a source that can be checked through the Reviewstown Contact page. Material corrections should be noted on the affected page.