Rules Every Draft Follows

A small team does not need a thick style manual, but it does need a few rules that everyone follows without debate. These are ours. They apply to every article, whether it is about a streaming app, a job interview or a savings account.

1. Answer the question early

A reader who searched for something should find the core of the answer near the top of the page. Background, history and nuance come after, for those who want them. If an article cannot answer its own headline in the first few paragraphs, the headline or the article needs rethinking.

2. Test the steps where we can

Instructions for software, settings and devices are followed on a real screen before publication whenever that is practical. When a menu differs between versions or systems, we name the variations instead of pretending there is only one. Our guide to clearing the cache in Chrome is a typical example: one task, several devices, each walked through separately.

3. No invented numbers

We do not make up statistics, survey results, studies or quotes to make a point sound stronger. If a figure matters and we cannot trace it to a reliable public source, we leave it out and explain the idea in words. Examples and calculators use the reader's own numbers or clearly labelled placeholders.

4. Money and law stay general

Articles on budgets, savings, borrowing, property or legal rules describe how things usually work and what to check. They do not tell an individual reader what to do with their money or their case. Where rules depend on the country, state or contract, we say so plainly and point towards official sources or qualified help.

5. Plain words, defined terms

Jargon is explained the first time it appears, or linked to Words Explained. We prefer short sentences and familiar words, and we write as if talking to a capable colleague who happens to be new to the subject.

6. Names are context, not verdicts

When an article mentions a company, product or service, it is there to make the topic concrete. A mention is not a ranking or a promise about quality, and we try to describe what a reader should compare rather than declaring a winner.

7. Cautions belong in the text

If a step could lose data, cost money or lock someone out of an account, the warning sits right next to that step, not in small print at the end. The same goes for limits: we would rather say "this will not fix every case" than overpromise.

8. Dates are visible, updates are real

Each article shows when it was published or last updated. An update means the content was checked and changed where needed, not just re-dated. The routine behind this is described on The Workshop Behind the Pages.

9. Corrections are welcome

Readers often spot things we missed. When someone reports an error through Reach Us, we check it, fix it if it holds up and reply to say what changed.