Editorial Policy

How we choose what to cover, how we check it, and what we do when we get it wrong.

Arcnet publishes explanatory technology journalism for people who build, secure and run software. This page sets out how we decide what to cover, how we research and check it, and what we do when we get something wrong. If you ever think a piece of ours falls short of what is described here, we want to hear about it — tell us.

Who we are

Arcnet is an independent technology publication covering cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, software development, IT operations and digital marketing. We are a small team, which we think is a strength: every article is written by a named human being who is accountable for it, not assembled anonymously at volume.

Our articles carry a byline and a link to the author’s profile, where you can see their background and the other work they have published here. If you want to reach a writer about something they wrote, the contact page will get you to them.

What we choose to cover

We write about things our readers have to make decisions about. That usually means one of four kinds of story:

• Explainers — a technology, threat or technique broken down so you can reason about it, not just recognise the name.
• Practical guides — how to actually do something, written so the steps work when you follow them.
• Analysis — what a development means in practice, and what it does not mean, separated clearly from the facts it rests on.
• Troubleshooting — concrete answers to the problems people are searching for at two in the morning.

We do not chase every announcement. If we have nothing useful to add to a story, we would rather stay quiet than publish filler.

How we research and verify

Every article begins with primary sources wherever they exist: vendor documentation, security advisories, standards bodies, published research, official filings and the software itself. Where we describe how something behaves, we have generally tested or traced it rather than repeating a description from elsewhere.

• Claims of fact are attributed and linked to their source, so you can check our work rather than take our word for it.
• Statistics carry the name of the organisation that produced them and the period they cover. We do not launder numbers through secondary coverage.
• Where sources disagree, we say so instead of picking the tidier answer.
• Where something is uncertain, unverified or still developing, we label it that way.
• Technical instructions are checked against the current version of the software, and we note the version we tested.

Our use of AI tools

We cover artificial intelligence, so we should be straightforward about our own use of it. AI tools may assist our team with research summarisation, outlining, and editing for clarity. They do not replace the writer.

• Every article is written, directed and reviewed by a named human author who is responsible for its accuracy.
• We do not publish machine-generated text that no one has verified.
• Facts, figures and quotations are confirmed against primary sources by a person, regardless of where they first surfaced.

Independence and advertising

Editorial decisions at Arcnet are made on editorial grounds alone. Advertisers and sponsors have no say in what we cover, what we conclude, or when we publish, and they do not see articles before publication.

• We do not sell coverage. Payment will not get a product written about, and no amount of advertising will keep criticism out of an article.
• Advertising and sponsored placements are clearly labelled as such and are visually distinct from editorial content.
• Where an article contains affiliate links, we disclose it, and the recommendation is made on the merits regardless of whether a link earns anything.
• If a writer has any personal or financial interest in something we are covering, that interest is disclosed in the article or the writer does not cover it.

Corrections

We will get things wrong occasionally. When we do, we fix it openly rather than quietly.

• Factual errors are corrected as soon as they are confirmed, and the article carries a note saying what was changed and when.
• Significant rewrites — where a correction changes the substance of a piece — are labelled at the top of the article.
• Routine updates, such as refreshing an article for a new software version, are noted with an updated date.
• Typos and formatting fixes are made without a note, as they do not affect meaning.

We do not delete articles to make an error disappear. If something is wrong, the record of the correction stays with it. To report an error, use our contact page and tell us which article and which claim — we aim to respond within two working days.

Comments and community

Comments are moderated before they appear. We welcome disagreement, corrections and hard questions. We remove spam, personal attacks, and anything that exists only to promote a product. Pointing out that we are wrong is not a reason for removal — it is the reason comments are open.

Privacy and reader data

How we handle analytics, cookies, newsletter subscriptions and advertising data is set out in full in our privacy policy.

Getting in touch

Corrections, story tips, questions about this policy, or a disagreement with something we published — all of it goes through the same place. Visit our contact page and we will read it.