Voice
We write in the first person plural. "We", not "I", and never "the author". A piece may be drafted by one person but the editorial position is the house's. Present tense as the default. Active voice. The reader should know what we think after reading the first paragraph.
Sentence shape
Short. Most sentences under twenty words. Some shorter than that. We use full stops where most writers reach for a comma, because periods make a writer commit to the claim. Mid-sentence parentheticals are fine. Em-dashes are not, because they're the punctuation the language models use to fake a pause. We use commas or full stops.
Words we don't use
- Filler adverbs: very, really, quite, somewhat, actually, basically, literally.
- Texture words that mean nothing: quiet, slowly, carefully, considered, thoughtful, lovingly, beautifully.
- Marketing words: revolutionary, game-changing, paradigm shift, disruption, innovative, seamless, robust.
- Hedging words when we're sure: arguably, perhaps, somewhat, in some sense.
- Booster words when we're not sure: obviously, clearly, of course, definitely.
- Words that flatter the reader: as you know, savvy, smart, sophisticated readers.
If we want to convey conviction, we use a short sentence. If we want to convey uncertainty, we say what we don't know.
Claims need sources
Every factual claim is either a citation or an acknowledgement that we couldn't verify it. We don't write "studies show". We write "the 2024 State of JS survey found", with the link to the survey. Sources appear at the bottom of each article in a numbered list. If a piece makes no factual claims (an essay, a column), it doesn't need sources, and the absence of a sources list tells the reader so.
When we couldn't verify a claim but think it's worth raising, we say "we couldn't verify". That's a strength, not a weakness.
Conflicts of interest go up top
If we have any financial, professional, or personal relationship with the subject of a piece, we say so in the first paragraph. Not in a footer. Not in a tooltip. A disclosure box renders at the top of the article above the body. Readers should never have to discover it.
Corrections
When we get something wrong, we fix the article and add a dated correction note at the bottom. We do not silently rewrite published work. If a correction is substantive (changes the conclusion of the piece, not just a typo), we put a note at the top of the article too.
A small typo gets fixed quietly. A factual error gets a public correction. The line between the two is: would a reader who already read the piece want to know? If yes, log it.
Headlines
Headlines say what the piece says. They aren't a question we answer in paragraph three. They aren't a hook designed to make you click. If a piece's argument is "X is overrated", the headline should contain both X and "overrated". If we can't write the headline without sounding like a buzzfeed listicle, the piece isn't ready.
What we link to
We link to primary sources when they exist. The original report, the original data, the original interview. Not the secondary blog post summarising it. We link to people's writing without affiliate tags. If a link is sponsored or affiliate, the link itself says so in the surrounding text.
What we don't do
- No sponsored content disguised as editorial. Ads are clearly labelled and we don't write them.
- No "10 best X" listicles unless the list is the entire argument.
- No engagement-bait headlines. No "you won't believe", no "this changes everything".
- No anonymous attacks. If we're criticising a named person or company, we say who. If we're criticising an anonymous source, we explain why they're anonymous.
- No piling on. If something is already widely covered, our piece needs to add something the other coverage missed. If it can't, we don't publish.
How to write us about a violation
If we broke one of these rules in a published piece, the contact address is on the imprint page. Send the URL and a sentence about what's wrong. We read every email. We respond to ones that are right.
This document is versioned with the site. It changes when our editorial standards change, which is rare, and changes are logged in the site repository.