Editorial & fact-checking policy
Last updated: Aug 18, 2026
This page describes exactly how we create, source, check, and maintain everything on Tips Health — including the things we deliberately don't do.
1. Who we are, and who we aren't
Tips Health is an independent health publication run by writers who do not practice medicine. We state that plainly up front, because trust starts with not overstating your own standing.
We write about lifestyle habits, explain medical terminology, and summarize published research. We do not diagnose, advise on drug dosing, or publish treatment protocols for specific conditions. When a question goes past that line, we say so and point you toward someone licensed to answer it.
2. The four steps behind every article
Each article clears the four steps below. If a step is skipped, the article does not carry a fact-check label.
Only the CDC, NIH, WHO, PubMed, and recognized medical bodies qualify. Blogs, supplement retailers, and AI-generated content are rejected.
Every medical claim carries a footnote pointing at the exact page that supports it — never a generic link to an institution's front door.
A senior nursing, medical, or nutrition student — or a practicing physician. Their real role appears verbatim in the article.
Every article is reviewed at least once every 12 months. The last review date sits directly under the headline.
3. What counts as an acceptable source
We cite only the following, in order of preference:
- Public health agencies: the CDC, NIH (including NHLBI and NIDDK), WHO, and NHS.
- Peer-reviewed research indexed in PubMed — with systematic reviews and meta-analyses preferred over any single study.
- Recognized medical specialty societies and major academic medical centers.
We do not cite: other health blogs, supplement retailers, aggregator articles with no traceable origin, or AI-generated content without a verifiable source. Where the evidence is thin or genuinely conflicting, we say that instead of picking whichever side reads more persuasively.
4. Two review labels, and the difference between them
We use two distinct labels and never blur them:
- ✓ Fact-checked — someone with relevant training (usually a senior medical, nursing, or nutrition student) read every claim and checked it against the cited sources. Their name, field of study, and institution appear publicly in the article.
- ✓ Physician-verified — a practicing physician reviewed and confirmed the content. We apply this label only when a licensed clinician has actually put their name to it.
We deliberately avoid the phrase "Medically reviewed by" when the reviewer is not a practicing clinician. A misleading credential label is both a reputational and a legal risk, so we describe each person's standing accurately instead.
5. What reviewers receive
We do not currently pay reviewers. Instead, their name, field of study, and institution are credited publicly on the article, which they can use as a portfolio piece. For physicians with a practice in our directory, we exchange prominent placement and a link back to their own website.
We disclose this because it should inform how you read the labels: this is a value exchange, not a paid expert engagement.
6. The provider directory
The directory pulls administrative data from NPPES, the public federal registry of US healthcare providers, and syncs weekly. Coordinates come from Nominatim; nearby amenities come from OpenStreetMap through the Overpass API and are cached.
We do not verify quality of care, do not confirm current licensure status, and accept no fees to change placement or ordering. Results are sorted by distance. A listing is not a recommendation.
7. Corrections and updates
Medical guidance changes. Every article shows its publication date and its most recent review date. If you find an error, tell us — we fix confirmed mistakes and note the change when a correction is substantive.
8. Advertising and independence
Editorial content is independent of any commercial relationship. Where an article contains affiliate links or sponsored content, that is disclosed within the article itself. Commercial relationships never determine what we recommend or which sources we cite.