Editorial Standards

Bylines, dates and article labels

Every article displays a byline linked to an author profile, a clearly labeled original publication time, a last-updated time and an article type such as News analysis, Policy tracker or Source analysis.

The AO uses an institutional byline when a report is produced and reviewed by the editorial desk rather than one verified individual contributor. It does not invent a person or credentials to make a byline appear more conventional.

Source authority

Tier 1 sources include institutions, admissions offices, government agencies, courts, statutes, official data and other direct documents. Tier 2 includes reputable independent reporting or analysis. Tier 3 commentary may generate a lead but cannot establish a factual claim by itself.

We seek one primary source and independent context when reasonably possible. A definitive institutional policy may be established by its official source, but the article must still add original analysis or practical context.

Fact-checking

Deadlines, policy effective dates, quoted or paraphrased language, statistics and calculated comparisons are checked against the linked evidence before publication. Articles distinguish application counts from applicant counts, announcements from final data, and institutional claims from independently verified facts.

High-risk or disputed claims do not publish automatically below a confidence score of 85. Unknowns remain unknown, and conflicting evidence is described openly.

Original reporting and analysis

The AO does not publish a university or company announcement merely by rewriting it. A publishable story must add meaningful original value through document comparison, historical context, peer analysis, deadline synthesis, a timeline, independently obtained comment, data analysis or clear applicant-impact reporting.

Each article labels its Original analysis & context section and links readers directly to the underlying evidence so they can inspect the source material themselves.

AI-assisted production

AI may assist source discovery, retrieval, comparison and drafting. Every article carries a public production note, and the editorial desk remains accountable for verifying claims, dates and numbers against cited evidence.

No quotation, deadline, statistic, acceptance rate, source, interview or reporter identity may be fabricated. Automated assistance is never used as a substitute for a primary source.

Independence and conflicts

Advertising, sponsorship or a business relationship cannot buy coverage, affect a story score or suppress reporting. Sponsored material is conspicuously labeled and is not presented as editorial work.

A material ownership interest, affiliate relationship, sponsorship or other financial tie relevant to a subject is disclosed on the affected article.

Updates and corrections

A materially revised article receives a visible updated time. Factual corrections include a dated note explaining what changed; routine style edits do not reset the original publication date.

Readers can contact admissionsobserver@gmail.com with the article URL, disputed passage and supporting primary evidence.