Editorial policy
What we publish, how we check it, how we fix mistakes and how we keep advertising away from the writing.
Our standards
Sports Health Guide publishes general educational content about sport, exercise and health. Because health information can affect real decisions, we hold every guide to the same standards: it must be accurate, sourced, clear about uncertainty and honest about when to see a professional.
Sources we use
We prefer sources in roughly this order:
- Systematic reviews and meta-analyses published in peer-reviewed journals.
- Position statements and consensus statements from professional bodies, such as the American College of Sports Medicine, the International Society of Sports Nutrition and the International Olympic Committee.
- Clinical practice guidelines used by doctors and physiotherapists.
- Individual randomised controlled trials and large observational studies.
- Smaller studies, expert opinion and coaching practice, clearly labelled as such.
We don't use press releases, supplement company marketing or social media posts as evidence. Every guide lists its main sources at the end so you can check them yourself.
How we describe evidence
We try to match our language to the strength of the evidence. "Research consistently shows" means several good-quality studies agree. "Some studies suggest" means the evidence is limited or mixed. When we're giving a practical recommendation that goes beyond what's been formally tested, we say so.
Fact-checking
Every statistic, dose and number in a guide must trace back to a source in its reference list. Before publishing, each claim is checked against that source. Anything we can't verify is removed or rewritten as clearly labelled opinion.
Medical content
Our guides are education, not diagnosis or treatment. Articles about injuries or symptoms include warning signs that need professional attention. We never advise readers to ignore or delay medical advice.
Updates
We review guides regularly and whenever important new research appears. Each article shows the date it was first published and the date it was last reviewed. Small fixes (typos, broken links) don't change the review date. Changes to advice do.
Corrections
If you think we've made a mistake, please tell us, ideally with a source. We look at every correction request. When we change a guide because it contained an error, we fix it promptly and update the review date.
Independence and advertising
This site is funded by advertising. Ads are labelled and kept separate from editorial content. Advertisers have no input into what we write, don't see articles before publication and can't request changes. We don't publish sponsored articles or accept payment for recommending products.
Images
Photographs on this site come from Unsplash and are used under the Unsplash licence. They illustrate the topic and don't show the specific people or situations described in the text.
Use of tools
We use software tools, including AI-assisted tools, to help with research, drafting and editing. Every published guide is checked against its sources by a person before it goes live, and we take full responsibility for everything we publish.