Editorial Standards

Editorial Policy

How guides are researched, reviewed, updated, and written to keep animal welfare and accuracy first.

research workflow review layers update discipline
How We Work

How we research, write, and verify every guide on KeepersNook

KeepersNook publishes care guides, species profiles, and feeding safety articles for pet keepers. Here is how we ensure every article is accurate, useful, and trustworthy.

Research Standards

Where Our Information Comes From

Every article begins with source research, not writing. We prioritize sources in this order:

  1. Peer-reviewed journals — Journal of Fish Biology, Poultry Science, Herpetological Review
  2. University extension programs — University of Florida IFAS, Penn State Extension, Clemson Cooperative Extension
  3. Veterinary resources — DVM-authored guides, AVMA publications, Merck Veterinary Manual
  4. Keeper communities — when primary research is limited, we draw from experienced keeper consensus and note it as anecdotal

We do not use unverified forum posts, social media opinions, or AI-generated content without human verification as sources.

Transparency

AI-Assisted Content Disclosure

Some articles use AI tools as part of the drafting process. When this happens:

1
Research Outline

Human editor creates a detailed outline with required sources and key facts.

2
AI Draft

An AI model generates an initial draft based on our editorial guidelines.

3
Human Review

Every claim is verified against primary sources. Errors and generic content are removed.

4
Publish & Monitor

The final version reflects our editorial standards. Articles are updated on a rolling schedule.

Our position: AI is a useful drafting tool when paired with rigorous human review. We do not publish unreviewed AI output. The keeper expertise, source verification, and final editorial judgment are always human.

Accountability

Corrections and Updates

If you spot an error in any article, contact us. We take corrections seriously:

  • Factual errors are corrected within 48 hours of verification
  • Outdated care recommendations are updated on a rolling review schedule
  • Every article displays its last-updated date

Affiliate Content

Some articles contain affiliate links to products we recommend. Our affiliate relationships never influence our recommendations. We choose products based on quality, value, and relevance — not commission rates. See our full Affiliate Disclosure.

Editorial Independence

No brand, manufacturer, or advertiser has editorial input on our content. Product recommendations are based on our research and keeper experience.

Veterinary disclaimer: Our content is informational, not a substitute for professional veterinary advice. Always consult a licensed veterinarian for health concerns about your animals.

EDITORIAL CONTRACT

Editorial policy pages should explain how trust is produced

This page should make research, review, updates, and correction handling legible enough that readers can judge the system, not just the claims.

Research discipline

Claims should be built from cited sources, keeper practicality, and clear scope limits where uncertainty exists.

Review layers

Readers should be able to understand when a page is editor-checked, fact-checked, or veterinary-reviewed.

Update rules

Recency, corrections, and substantive revisions need visible handling so the content does not pretend to be static.

Welfare-first standard

When speed, novelty, and animal safety conflict, the page should make it obvious which value wins.