Our Checklist Before Publishing

Every article on Wellbeing Notes, whether it is a new guide or an older piece we have reworked, has to clear the same set of hurdles before it goes live. We keep the list short so that we actually use it. Here it is, written out for readers who like to know how the sausage is made.

1. Answer the question early

If the title asks how to do something, the reader should have the gist within the first few paragraphs. Background, nuance and extras come afterwards. Nobody searching for help at midnight wants to scroll past a long preamble.

2. Use words a tired person can follow

Medical terms appear only when they are genuinely useful, and they are explained in passing the first time. Sentences stay short. Steps are numbered when order matters and bulleted when it does not. A small table goes in where comparison is easier to see than to read.

3. Stay general and cautious

Our writers are not clinicians, so every piece keeps to general information. That means:

• no doses, treatment schedules or instructions to start or stop a medicine
• no statistics, studies or expert quotes we cannot trace to a reliable source
• no promises that a habit, product or food will cure, prevent or reverse a condition
• no scare tactics or worst-case lists designed to alarm

4. Be honest about uncertainty

Where the evidence is mixed, thin or still developing, the article says so in plain terms. We would rather write "this helps some people and not others" than pretend there is a neat answer.

5. Include a clear "when to get help" section

This is the part we care about most. Every health guide ends by naming the signs that call for a GP, pharmacist, dentist or emergency services, written specifically for that topic. You can see examples at the end of how to lower your resting heart rate and how to choose a sunscreen.

6. Respect the reader's situation

People come to a health article with different bodies, budgets and circumstances. We avoid assuming everyone can buy the expensive option, has time for a long routine or lives in the same country with the same services. Where rules differ by place, we point readers to their own local guidance.

7. Pass a second pair of eyes

A different member of the team reads every draft before publication, checking the points above and flagging anything that sounds too sure of itself. Drafts often go back and forth a couple of times.

8. Stay open to correction

Publishing is not the end. When a reader points out a mistake or a clearer way to say something, we review the piece and update it. If you have spotted something, our contact page explains how to tell us. More about the people behind this checklist is on Who Writes These Guides.