How we research and correct guidance

What question is the page answering?

Each page should answer a distinct question: how much water to store, which loads need backup power, what an alert means, or how a device behaves without power or internet. We start with the reader's situation and the decision they should be able to make after reading.

Where do the numbers come from?

A quantity should be labeled as a source value, calculator assumption, worked example, or household input. The page should show the unit, the date when it can change, and the limits that matter to the decision. Worked examples show their arithmetic so readers can replace our assumptions with their own.

How do we choose a source?

• Public safety and health baselines come from sources such as Ready.gov, CDC, EPA, USDA, NOAA, NWS, CPSC, state agencies, utilities, or local authorities.
• Product limits, maintenance intervals, fuel use, and installation requirements come from the exact current manual or manufacturer documentation.
• Certification claims point to the relevant certification scope or searchable database, not a logo alone.
• Prices, subscriptions, rebates, laws, forecasts, and active product details receive a checked date because they change.

Important safety, quantity, performance, health, or legal claims should link to supporting evidence nearby. A bibliography alone does not show which source supports a particular statement.

How are editorial and AI-assisted tools used?

Editorial tools may help organize research, compare drafts, find repeated material, or identify questions that still need an answer. They are not treated as sources. The Home Resilience Hub Editorial Team remains responsible for choosing and checking evidence, reviewing calculations, stating safety boundaries, writing the final guidance, publishing it, and correcting it.

We do not infer or invent product use, field observations, tests, credentials, relationships, quotations, or household experiences. When a claim depends on first-hand work, the page must describe a supportable method and evidence or leave the claim out.

What if I live outside the United States?

The planning method may still help, but US alert systems, units, public-health guidance, electrical and fuel rules, certifications, equipment, buildings, and emergency services must be replaced with current local information. See the international-use checklist and official starting points before acting on a guide or calculator result.

What does a calculator result mean?

A calculator result is a planning estimate based on the inputs and assumptions shown. It can help compare options or expose a missing piece of a plan; it cannot inspect equipment, a building, a water source, health needs, or local requirements. Check the result against the exact manual, current local conditions, and qualified advice where the consequences are safety-critical.

Calculations run in the browser. Analytics record the calculator and action, not household input values. If a reader chooses to copy a result link, the URL may contain the values needed to recreate that result.

How do we handle safety-sensitive guidance?

We use current public-health and safety guidance, keep model-specific instructions tied to the exact manual, and identify work that depends on local rules or a qualified professional. Medical, evacuation, medication, accessibility, and utility-priority information is planning support, not individualized advice.

How is product information handled?

Buying guides explain category criteria, tradeoffs, maintenance, and questions to ask before purchasing. Paid placements and affiliate partnerships are not currently active. If that changes, the relationship must be disclosed beside the affected content.

How are pages updated and corrected?

An updated date should represent a meaningful review, not an automated build. We review high-risk guidance when a source changes or a reliable report identifies a problem. We may correct the page directly, add a clarification, or retire a claim that can no longer be supported.

To report an error, use the editorial feedback form and include the page URL, the statement in question, and a reliable source when possible.

What happens after you report a problem?

1. We identify the exact page, claim, calculator input, or link being questioned.
2. We compare it with the cited source and the best current primary source available.
3. We correct, clarify, or remove unsupported material when the evidence warrants it.
4. A changed date is used only when the published guidance materially changes.