Fact-Checking and Quality Assurance Process

Purpose

ExcellentWiki publishes information across 24+ sections including health, finance, law, and other YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) topics. This document defines the process for ensuring accuracy, sourcing, and ongoing quality.

Content Tiers

Automated Quality Gates

All articles, regardless of tier, must pass these automated checks:

1. Frontmatter validation — title, description, author, lastmod present and correctly formatted
2. Word count — minimum 1,500 words, maximum 2,500 words
3. Internal links — minimum 2 internal links per article
4. FAQ section — ## Frequently Asked Questions heading must be present
5. H2/H3 hierarchy — at least 3 H2 headings, proper nesting
6. No broken links — all internal links resolve to existing pages

Human Review Process (Tier 1)

For YMYL content, at least one human reviewer must:

1. Verify all factual claims against authoritative sources (PubMed, .gov, .edu, peer-reviewed journals)
2. Check that recommendations align with current medical/legal/financial best practices (as of the lastmod date)
3. Remove or flag any claims that could cause harm if followed incorrectly
4. Add caveats and disclaimers where appropriate (“Consult your physician before…”, “This is not legal advice…”)
5. Verify author credentials or ensure the byline reflects editorial oversight

Source Citation Guidelines

• Health articles: Cite peer-reviewed studies (PubMed ID), .gov health sources (CDC, NIH, WHO), or major medical institution guidelines
• Finance articles: Cite government data (IRS, SEC, Federal Reserve), academic economics research, or established financial authority
• Legal articles: Cite specific statutes, regulations, or court cases; include jurisdictional caveats
• All other articles: Cite reputable textbooks, academic sources, or industry-standard references

Inaccuracy Reporting

Users can report inaccuracies via:

1. “Report inaccuracy” link at the bottom of every article page — opens a GitHub issue with the article title and URL pre-filled
2. Email to support@excellentwiki.com

Reported inaccuracies are triaged within 48 hours. Critical errors (health/safety/financial harm) are fixed within 24 hours.

Content Refresh Schedule

Review Checklist for New Articles

• Title contains target keyword, under 60 characters, compelling
• Description is a complete sentence ending in period, under 155 characters
• H2 headings create a clear content hierarchy (at least 3)
• Article is 1,500–2,500 words
• At least 2 internal links to related ExcellentWiki articles
• FAQ section with 3–5 Q&A pairs
• No plagiarized or AI-generated content that hasn’t been reviewed
• author, lastmod, and description frontmatter fields populated
• E-E-A-T signals present (author byline, sources cited where applicable)
• Images have descriptive alt text (if any)