Editorial Policy

How UrbanEthica decides what to publish, who writes it, and how we keep it honest.

UrbanEthica is a small editorial publication and the credibility of our work depends on a few clear rules. This page explains them.

Who writes for us

Every article on UrbanEthica is written by a human. We commission staff editors and a rotating group of vetted freelance writers, usually people with direct working experience in housing, transit, energy or municipal sustainability. We do not publish AI-generated text. We do not accept ghostwritten guest posts from brands.

How a story gets to publication

  1. Pitch. Internal editors or freelance writers propose an angle that fits one of our six topic streams.
  2. Brief. The commissioning editor agrees on word count, sources, the one practical takeaway, and the deadline.
  3. Draft. The writer files a first draft with citations to primary sources where possible.
  4. Edit. A second editor reviews for accuracy, structure, tone, and adherence to our style guide.
  5. Fact-check. Any numbers, carbon savings, tariff figures, transit fares, are verified against a current source within the past 12 months.
  6. Publish. The article goes live with the author’s byline, publication date, and the topic stream it sits inside.
  7. Revisit. Time-sensitive guides are reviewed at least once a year and updated if needed, with a visible “Updated” note.

Sources

We prefer primary sources: government datasets, peer-reviewed research, manufacturer specifications, and named interviews. Secondary sources are used only when the primary is paywalled or unavailable. Wikipedia is never cited.

Corrections

If we get something wrong, we say so. Material corrections are posted at the bottom of the relevant article with a date and a brief explanation of what changed. Typos and minor edits are made silently.

Conflicts of interest

Writers must disclose any commercial relationship with a company or product mentioned in their article. Editors review every disclosure before publication. If a conflict cannot be cleanly managed, the writer is reassigned.

Affiliate links

Some product reviews include affiliate links. Recommendations are made on editorial merit alone, affiliate revenue does not influence which products we cover or how they are rated. See the affiliate disclosure for the full picture.

Comments and community

Reader comments are welcome on articles where they are open. We moderate for clarity and civility, no personal attacks, spam, or sales pitches. Verified corrections from readers are gratefully received and credited.