Editorial Standards
These standards guide how The Illustral prepares, reviews and corrects its articles. Our aim is to help readers distinguish established facts, reported claims and editorial interpretation.
Sources and verification
We prioritize original research, official documentation, public records and direct statements where they are relevant. We identify and link to the sources supporting an article's central claims.
A company's description of its product is a claim from that company. It is not independent confirmation of performance. Research findings are presented with their relevant scope and limitations; a preprint is identified as a preprint.
We do not invent quotations, sources, interviews or firsthand experience. If we have not tested a product, we do not describe it as something we tested. Hypothetical examples are identified as such.
News, analysis and explainers
News reports a development and the evidence available at publication.
Analysis examines what the evidence may mean and makes clear where interpretation begins.
Explainers provide context and practical understanding. Historical examples are dated so that they are not mistaken for current product information or rankings.
Headlines and summaries must reflect what an article supports. Uncertainty that matters to the reader belongs in the article, not only in its source material.
AI assistance and human responsibility
AI tools may assist with organizing source material, drafting, editing and creating conceptual illustrations. Their output is material to review, not evidence that a claim is true.
Publication requires explicit acceptance of the final version by the responsible human editor. AI-assisted articles include a disclosure. The publication remains responsible for what it publishes.
In an assisted review, AI tools help examine factual claims, sources and attribution, and the responsible editor decides whether to accept the reviewed version for publication. Acceptance records that decision; it does not establish independent human fact-checking or firsthand product testing. The assisted-review disclosure should not be read as a claim that a human independently verified every fact or tested the product.
Automated preparation does not authorize automatic publication. A draft remains a draft until the required editorial review is complete.
Authorship
The institutional byline “The Illustral” identifies work published under the publication's responsibility. Named bylines are used only for real contributors whose involvement is accurately described. We do not create fictional reporters or credentials.
Images and illustrations
AI-generated illustrations are labeled. They must not be presented as photographs of a real event, participants in a study or samples from research unless that description is accurate and supported.
Before using an image, we review its origin and the basis for using it. Captions and credits should describe what is known without inventing a license, permission or provenance record.
Editorial independence
Editorial decisions are based on relevance to readers and the evidence available. Commercial relationships must not be concealed as independent reporting.
If an article contains paid sponsorship, affiliate links or a material commercial relationship relevant to its coverage, that relationship must be disclosed clearly. Payment does not remove the obligation to verify claims or correct errors.
Corrections and updates
Readers can report a possible error through Contact. Please include the article link, the passage in question and supporting information where available.
When a factual error is confirmed, we correct it and add a dated note explaining the material change. Updates that materially change an article's meaning are also identified. Minor spelling or formatting fixes may be made without a separate note.
If a central claim cannot be supported, we will make that issue clear and amend or withdraw the article as appropriate. We do not change a publication date simply to make an old article appear new.