Research Notes

Behind every article on this site is a small pile of reading. This page explains what goes into that pile, how we decide what to trust and how the checking shows up in the finished piece.

Where we start

For anything touching health, we begin with public guidance from national health services, public health agencies and recognised medical and professional organisations. These sources tend to be cautious, updated over time and written for the general public, which suits the way we write. For practical topics, such as how to prepare a bath or set up a bedroom for sleep, we also draw on everyday experience, our own and readers', and we make clear that it is experience rather than evidence.

What we treat with care

• Single studies. One study is a starting point, not a conclusion. We prefer to describe what the wider body of guidance says.
• Product claims. Labels and marketing pages are written to sell. We do not repeat their promises as fact.
• Personal stories. They are valuable for understanding how something feels, but they cannot show that it works for everyone.
• Trends. A practice being popular says nothing about whether it is safe or useful.

How claims are checked

Each draft is read by a second member of the team, who looks for sentences that make a claim about the body or mind. For every one, the question is simple: can this be supported by reliable public guidance, in the plain words we have used? If the answer is no, the sentence is softened, rephrased as uncertainty, or removed. We would rather publish a shorter article than a confident wrong one.

No invented numbers

You will notice that our articles rarely contain percentages or precise figures. That is deliberate. Numbers taken out of context can mislead, and invented ones are worse. When we mention research, we describe it in general terms, for example that studies are ongoing or that findings are mixed, instead of quoting statistics we cannot place properly.

How uncertainty appears

Words like may, many people find and some research suggests are not filler. They tell you how firm the ground is. Our piece on the benefits of yoga, for instance, describes common experiences and is explicit that they are not guarantees.

Safety notes

Wherever a topic involves heat, exercise, breathing techniques or supplements, we add a note about who should speak to a doctor first. Those notes are part of the research, not decoration, and they are checked as carefully as the rest.

Keeping pages fresh

Guidance changes. When we learn that advice has moved on, we revisit the article and update it. If you know of something newer than what we have written, please tell us via When Something Is Wrong. More about our general approach is on Reading Health Advice Here.