Editorial Policy

1. Who Is Responsible for This Content

All articles, guides, and templates on Spec Coding are maintained under the responsibility of Daniel Marsh, the site's lead author and editor. Background, public profiles, and claim boundaries are listed on the author page.

There are no anonymous contributors. If content is ever contributed by a guest author, that author will be named, linked, and their background disclosed on the relevant page. Company and customer details in examples are anonymized unless the source is public.

2. Topic Selection

Topics are selected based on two criteria:

• Practical relevance — the topic must map to a real decision a developer, PM, or QA engineer faces during delivery. Theoretical overviews without actionable guidance are not published.
• Gap in existing coverage — priority is given to topics where existing public resources are abstract, outdated, or missing concrete examples.

Topics are never selected based on advertiser preference, affiliate relationships, or commercial agreements of any kind. Spec Coding does not accept paid content requests.

3. Research and Writing Standards

Every article is drafted from the author's direct engineering experience or from documented industry practice. Before publication, each article is reviewed against the following checklist:

• Is the guidance actionable in a real engineering task without additional interpretation?
• Are examples concrete — named failure modes, specific edge cases, testable acceptance criteria — rather than abstract?
• Does the article avoid filler text, vague hedges, and content that only restates the topic title without adding substance?
• For high-risk topics (billing, migrations, security, concurrency), is failure-path and rollback coverage included?
• Does the article length match the complexity of the topic? Articles are not padded to hit a word count target.

4. Corrections and Updates

Spec Coding treats corrections as a first-class editorial obligation, not an afterthought.

5. Advertising and Commercial Disclosure

Spec Coding may display advertising, including Google AdSense, to support site hosting and content maintenance costs. The following disclosures apply:

• Advertising revenue does not influence which topics are covered, how tools or approaches are evaluated, or which templates are recommended.
• Spec Coding does not sell paid placement within articles, guides, or template recommendations.
• Spec Coding does not participate in affiliate marketing programs. Links to external resources are included on editorial merit only.
• If this policy ever changes — for example, if affiliate links are introduced — the change will be disclosed explicitly on every page where it applies, not just on this policy page.

Ad placement boundaries, accidental-click prevention, and reader reporting steps are documented in the Advertising Policy.

6. Content Removal

Content is removed or unpublished in the following circumstances:

• The article's core guidance is no longer valid and a correction would require a full rewrite.
• A legal or privacy concern is identified that cannot be resolved by editing.
• The topic is superseded by a more comprehensive guide that makes the original redundant.

Removed pages redirect to the closest relevant current content. Permanent removal without a redirect is avoided to prevent broken links in external citations.

7. Use of AI Tools

Spec Coding uses AI tools as writing aids during content production. Transparency about this is part of the site's editorial standards.

• AI tools may be used for drafting assistance, editing suggestions, and translation between English and Chinese.
• All AI-assisted content undergoes human review and editorial judgment before publication. AI-generated text is not published without substantial human editing and fact-checking.
• Every AI-assisted draft is reviewed by a human editor before publication. The editor is responsible for the accuracy and quality of the final result, regardless of what tools were used during drafting.
• Translation between English and Chinese uses AI assistance to produce initial drafts. These translations are then reviewed by the author for technical accuracy, natural phrasing, and consistency with the source material.
• AI tools do not influence topic selection, editorial opinions, or recommendations. The author's engineering experience and editorial judgment remain the basis for all published guidance.

8. Linking Policy

External links in Spec Coding articles point to primary sources: official documentation, specification documents, or original research. Links are not added for SEO reciprocity or as part of any link exchange arrangement. All external links use rel="noopener" for security.

9. Page-Level Quality Review

Core pages are reviewed for practical usefulness, not just grammar or search visibility. A page should make clear who it helps, what decision it supports, what artifact or checklist the reader can use next, and how the advice should be adapted for different risk levels.

When a page appears thin or low-value, the first fix is to add concrete material: examples, decision rules, failure modes, review questions, stronger next steps, or clearer editorial accountability. Spec Coding does not add generic filler to satisfy word count thresholds.

10. Contact for Policy Questions

For questions about this editorial policy, requests for corrections, or concerns about a specific article, use the contact page or email [email protected]. Editorial messages are reviewed within three business days.