Editorial Policy Last updated July 10, 2019

SelfHacked strives to provide objective, evidence-based, up-to-date, trustworthy, and straightforward information. To help you understand how we do this, we’re happy to share our content creation process with you.

Finding reliable, comprehensive, relevant, and easy-to-understand information is often problematic. SelfHacked aims to be part of the solution. We’re making cutting-edge health information understandable and accessible so you can make the best decisions for yourself and the people you love.

We are committed to providing information on a wide variety of health topics. Rather than filtering certain types of information, we take the stance that everyone should understand how findings from biomedical scientific studies are relevant to each person.

We always take our readers’ perspective into account. We simplify complex topics and avoid jargon so you can feel confident and clear. Whether you want to understand how a certain supplement works and if you should use it, or you’re looking for well-rounded ways to improve a chronic health condition, we’re here for you.

Throughout our content, we address total well-being and help you understand how a myriad of factors–including lifestyle, diet, supplements, health status, genetics, and lab markers–interact. We don’t believe in one-size-fits all solutions, which is why we call our approach “biohacking.” In support of that, we openly, comprehensively, and objectively cover a range of topics and viewpoints. We’re aware the journey to health is different for everyone, so we stand for inclusiveness and understanding.

However, the original editorial information we provide is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on the SelfHacked Site!

The following sections detail our content policies and procedures.

Editorial Selection of Original Content Created by SelfHacked

SelfHacked creates original content with reference generally to the following criteria:

Relevance: issues that could affect how you manage your own health and that of your family. Topics include coverage of breaking scientific studies, supplement and product launches, lab markers, genetics, integrative approaches to managing diseases and conditions and staying healthy.

Clinical Significance: The latest biomedical findings published in peer-reviewed medical journals. We weigh the level of evidence of each published study and clearly mention the type of study; we will also provide information about new preclinical studies where relevant, clearly stating the limitations of such studies.

Trends: Seasonal interests, such as “Sun Exposure in the Summer,” “Allergy Season,” and “Cold and Flu”; public health awareness, such as “Mental Health Awareness Month”; and emerging health trends, such as the latest in nutrition, fitness, disease prevention, dietary supplements, healthy living, alternative approaches, and much more.

Our Content Stands Out

It’s more comprehensive and reliable. We take a deeper dive than anyone else. Among numerous blogs with unreliable and confusing information, SelfHacked stands out as a credible, authoritative, cutting-edge source of health information. We cover a wider breadth of topics, which span from dietary supplements to blood markers to genetics to lifestyle changes.

Our posts are based on our editors’ selections of the most important and relevant information for a given period of time.

Editorial Integrity: SelfHacked’s journalistic responsibility is to make a clear distinction between informational content, features, references, and other editorial information, so that individuals can readily distinguish independent editorial information from advertising.

Editorial Independence: In its reporting, SelfHacked maintains exemplary principles of fairness, accuracy, objectivity, and responsible, independent reporting. SelfHacked maintains sole control of its editorial content.

Editorial Excellence: SelfHacked upholds traditional journalistic principles of excellence in creating and reviewing content. We ensure that all relevant information is presented in a balanced way that all people can understand.

Our Content is Created by Experts

Our writers and editors are experienced experts in health sciences. Our team comprises of PharmDs, MDs, PhDs, and MScs with degrees across a range of medical and scientific disciplines.

Editorial Policy for SelfHacked Editorial Staff

SelfHacked is the leading provider of health information services, serving consumers, physicians and other healthcare professionals. Editorial content created by SelfHacked is free from influence by advertisers and other sources.

Anyone who serves on the SelfHacked Editorial staff must fully disclose any potential conflict of interest with any sponsor or vendor.

The SelfHacked Editorial staff is charged with the responsibility of providing objective, accurate, and reliable content based on the highest level of scientific evidence and dedication to the highest professional standards.

Original Content Process

The content we produce is determined by our trained Editorial staff. It contains the latest information from reliable sources, including the most important peer-reviewed medical journals, announcements from federal health agencies and government organizations, and analyses on the latest health trends.

Each one of our posts first undergoes a detailed editorial review by a SelfHacked editor with biomedical credentials who edits it for scientific accuracy, style, flow, punctuation, and readability. Our newest policy is for each post to next be medically reviewed by our staff of full-time PharmDs and MDs for accuracy, appropriateness of medical language, and proper characterization of the scientific findings. The majority of SelfHacked posts are medically reviewed and we expect to have them all reviewed by September 2019. Finally, the post moves from medical review to publishing to the site.

Moderating Comments

Our blog is moderated occasionally and posteriorly. Moderators visit the website at least once a week. Our moderators are comprised of trained SelfHacked Executive Assistants. Our Editorial Staff (as part of the “Science Team”) handles all questions related to science. The qualifications/credentials of our moderator(s) are clearly stated on our About page, which you can view here.

Internet users posting comments on this blog should not be considered as health professionals.

Comments posted on the SelfHacked Blog should be designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her existing physician.

If a health professional gives medical information as a platform user, his or her status as a medical professional must be identified. However, we do not answer any comments related to personal health questions/issues.

SelfHacked platform users and moderators must behave at all times with respect and honesty.

By commenting on SelfHacked posts, you agree to post information that is true and correct to your knowledge. We invite you to provide resources (references, links, …) on health/medical claims when possible and relevant.

Specifically, you agree to give source information for any health/medical information that is not your personal experience or general knowledge. Personal experience is any symptom, test, treatment, etc. that you or a close family member has undergone himself/herself. You understand that your comment will not be approved unless you provide trustworthy sources for all statements regarding statistics, data, studies, and new advancement in medicine.

We remind you that everyone can read and use your comments. You do not have the possibility to erase your own comments.

Internet users commenting on SelfHacked blog posts must behave with respect and honesty at all times. If you wish to comment on a SelfHacked blog post, you may not include anything related to commercial/advertising activities or products.

Our comments policy is outlined in more detail in our Terms and Conditions, which users agree to before posting any comments on the SelfHacked blog.

Moderators reserve the right to erase, without notification, any comment they would judge inappropriate based on the rules outlined here. As such, moderators intervene if platform users are not behaving in line with this policy, using disrespectful or offensive language, or posting advertising material. Users who try to post such content three times in a row may be banned. Platform users are not warned or notified before being banned.

Advertising

As more fully described in our Advertising Policy, SelfHacked depends on raising its financial resources through subscription, affiliated income, consultation, sale of premium content and commission.

Some advertisements, which may appear as text paragraphs, thumbnail pictures, badges, or other types of text or pictures, are what is known as “native advertisements” and appear adjacent to editorial content. They are clearly distinguished by a separate heading and accompanying text. Advertising is not reviewed by the SelfHacked Editorial Staff and is not subject to this Editorial Policy.

For information on SelfHacked’s Corrections Policy, please click here.

“Friendly” links and non-paying banners to our sister companies LabTestAnalyzer and SelfDecode are clearly distinguished from our editorial content. Friendly links are placed under separate headings in posts with accompanying text, which specifies that the proceeds from the purchases of these products are reinvested into our research and development. Non-paying banners are labelled as “SelfHacked Partner solutions.” Both friendly links and non-paying banners are meant to provide users with additional paid resources.