Content Standards
What every guide must contain, the requirement-versus-practice rule, and where we stand on machine-written text.
Last updated:
These standards apply to every page here.
What every guide must contain
- A named author who is accountable for it, and a last-reviewed date.
- Technical terms defined the first time they appear.
- Named sources for regulatory statements.
- A clear separation between what is required and what is common practice.
- A verification note on any page a reader might act on.
Requirement versus practice
This is the rule we care most about. "Operators generally do X" and "operators must do X" are different sentences with different consequences, and blurring them is the characteristic failure of writing about regulated industries. Where we describe practice, we say practice. Where we state a requirement, we name the source. An editor who finds the two conflated sends the guide back.
Language
Plain language, no marketing register, no unexplained acronyms. We avoid "industry-leading", "best-in-class", "proven solution" and the rest of it entirely; this is a reference, not a brochure. Where a subject is genuinely contested or uncertain, we say so rather than picking a side for the sake of a clean sentence.
No named recommendations
We do not recommend specific facilities, vendors or service companies, and we do not publish claims about a named company's safety record, conduct or capability. Our facility selection guide gives criteria to apply; it does not give a list.
Accessibility
Images carry descriptive alt text. Headings follow a proper hierarchy. Colour is never the only carrier of meaning. Text contrast meets WCAG AA. The site works with a keyboard alone and without JavaScript beyond the mobile menu toggle, which matters more than usual for a site read on phones in poor coverage.
On machine-generated text
We do not publish guides written by a language model. Regulatory writing is exactly the domain where a fluent, confident, subtly wrong sentence does the most damage, and a model cannot be accountable for a statement about what the law requires. Tools may be used for proofreading. The research, the sourcing, the judgement and the sign-off are human.