Editorial Ethics & Standards

Last updated: September 14, 2025

Our mission. ThePricer publishes independent cost guides to help people understand what things really cost and why. We do not publish sponsored posts, paid reviews, link insertions, or affiliate content. Coverage cannot be bought or expedited.

1) Editorial independence

  • No pay-to-play. We do not accept paid placements, sponsored posts, paid link insertions, or affiliate commissions. External links exist only for verification.
  • Ads wall. Advertising is programmatic and separate from editorial. Ad operations do not assign, edit, or preview stories; editors do not sell or place ads.
  • Ownership & disclosure. See Ownership & Disclosure for who we are and how we’re funded.

2) Sourcing standards

Verifiable claims should cite primary sources whenever available.

  • Primary sources: official rate sheets, vendor or clinic price lists, invoices with sensitive data redacted, contracts, government/education (.gov/.edu) documents, regulatory filings.
  • Secondary sources: trade publications, reputable news, peer-reviewed research (used to provide context, not replace primary prices).
  • Price verification: At least two independent primary sources when feasible; otherwise one primary + corroborating secondary.
  • Link out for verification. We link only to support claims; never in exchange for compensation or favors.
  • Broken sources: We replace or mark “archived” if originals move or disappear; we do not cite dead links as evidence.

3) Price methodology (how we write about cost)

Our goal is clarity and reproducibility. Unless specified otherwise:

  • Typical price / “main price in article” is a representative figure (often a midpoint or common price quoted by providers) for a clearly defined package or unit.
  • Ranges show low–high quotes for the same package/unit; we avoid cherry-picking outliers.
  • Units & scope are stated near the first mention (per visit, per month, per mile, per pound, per device, package size, tier, etc.).
  • What’s excluded: Sales tax, local fees, add-ons, and insurance adjustments are excluded unless explicitly noted.
  • Insurance & benefits: When health/insurance applies, we call out list/billed charges separately from typical insured out-of-pocket where credible data exists.
  • Currency & region: Dollar figures are USD unless stated. If a price is region-specific, we identify the region or city.
  • Freshness: Articles display “Prices Last Reviewed for Freshness” (month/year). We re-check prices on a rolling monthly schedule; if material shifts occur, we update the article.
  • Rounding: We round to reasonable granularity (e.g., $99, $1.3k) to avoid false precision, keeping exact numbers in tables when needed.

4) Newsgathering rules

  • No deception. We may perform “mystery shopper” checks of publicly posted prices. We do not impersonate real people or misrepresent our identity to obtain non-public information. When requesting quotes or contacting sources, we identify as ThePricer staff.
  • Source quotations. Quotes are accurate and attributed. We do not fabricate quotes or composite multiple voices as one.
  • Off-the-record/confidential. We honor agreed-upon ground rules and protect confidential sources consistent with law and ethics.

5) Expert review

  • Where applicable, drafts are reviewed by a subject-matter expert (e.g., MD/DDS/DVM/JD/Insurance Producer). Reviews check scope, terminology, and whether prices match cited sources.
  • Compensation. Experts may be compensated for time spent reviewing; compensation is not tied to conclusions or publication.
  • Conflicts. Reviewers disclose relevant affiliations. If a conflict exists, we assign a different reviewer.
  • Reviewer names appear near the byline with a credential registry link when available.

6) Workflow & fact-checking

  • Process: writer → editor → (if applicable) expert review → publish.
  • Fact-checks: Editors verify numbers against sources; key claims require cited documentation. Every draft passes automated similarity checks before publication.
  • Outdated content: We flag or update pages where prices are no longer representative. Where we cannot verify timely, we may label as “archived” or temporarily remove from search.

7) Conflicts of interest

  • Staff (and household members) disclose financial interests relevant to assignments; editors reassign when conflicts exist.
  • We maintain an internal conflicts log reviewed quarterly by editorial leadership.

8) Gifts, discounts & travel

  • We do not accept gifts, loans, or special discounts. De-minimis items under $25 (e.g., coffee) may be accepted and recorded internally; anything more is declined or donated.
  • We do not accept press trips or travel that could influence coverage.
  • We link to external sources to allow readers to verify claims. We do not sell links or exchange links for coverage.
  • Programmatic/PR distribution pages and UGC may be labeled with rel="nofollow" or rel="ugc" at our discretion.

10) Community contributions & “People’s Price”

  • Readers may share experiences or price estimates via comments or forms. We moderate for civility, relevance, and safety.
  • UGC is anecdotal and not treated as a primary source. We may edit for clarity or remove unverifiable claims.
  • Do not post medical, legal, or financial advice; see the per-article disclaimer (“Educational information, not advice”).

11) Use of AI tools

We may use AI for outline ideas, grammar checks, or code assistance. All reporting, numbers, and claims are human-verified, and we never auto-publish AI output. We prohibit undisclosed AI-generated articles.

12) Images & media

  • We use licensed, original, or public-domain images with credit where required.
  • We do not manipulate images in ways that mislead readers.

13) Data & reader privacy

We collect only what’s necessary to operate the site and respond to reader inquiries. See our Privacy Policy for details.

14) Corrections & feedback

If you spot an error, please see our Corrections policy for how to submit evidence (rate sheets, invoices with sensitive info redacted, official URLs) and typical turnaround times. Substantive corrections are noted publicly.

15) Contact

Editorial/ethics: [email protected] · Media: [email protected] · General: Contact us

Related pages:
Ownership & Disclosure ·
Corrections ·
Press & Mentions ·
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