Editorial Policy & Source Standards

Scope and current review status

This policy sets the standard for MileShift Report’s English-language automotive coverage aimed at US readers. It applies to revised guides, manufacturing news, contributor submissions and commercial content. Its purpose is to make evidence and commercial interests understandable, not to promise that an article can resolve an individual vehicle problem.

Older pages are undergoing a page-by-page review. This policy is not a certification that every existing statement has already been checked. A design element, professional-looking chart or source-review date is not proof of original testing, complete accuracy or independent expert approval.

Sources and applicability

Safety, recall and specification claims should be supported by relevant original material wherever available: regulator records, manufacturer documents, service information or the organization that published a study. Secondary reporting can add context, but it should not silently replace an available original source. A link must support the nearby claim, not merely mention the same brand.

Before using a technical claim, the review should establish the model year, market, powertrain, affected production range and document date where relevant. Findings about one configuration must not be extended to an entire nameplate without evidence. A service bulletin, recall, warranty extension and ordinary maintenance instruction are different kinds of information and should be identified accurately.

Manufacturer and supplier announcements should be attributed. An announced factory, target capacity or planned launch is not the same as completed construction, measured output or delivered vehicles. News updates should distinguish the publication date from the date of the event being described.

Numbers, comparisons and uncertainty

Statistics need a named source and enough method context to understand what was measured. A sample of complaints does not automatically establish a population failure rate. Survey results, owner anecdotes and editorial judgments should be identified as such, rather than presented as equivalent evidence.

Repair figures should identify currency, date, scope and whether labor, taxes or additional work are included when that information is available. Without support for a current local quote, an article must not promise a precise repair price. Estimated scenarios and calculator outputs must state assumptions and must not masquerade as observations from actual customers.

Invented cohorts, expert quotations, laboratory credentials, test procedures or numerical rankings are not acceptable substitutes for missing evidence. If a claim cannot be substantiated, it should be removed, narrowed or clearly presented as an unanswered question. Illustrations must not be used as evidence of a real inspected vehicle.

Authorship and AI assistance

AI assistance has been used to help research, structure and draft revised material on this site. AI output is not itself a source. Names, citations, calculations and factual assertions still require checking against the underlying material; uncertainty must not be concealed by fluent writing.

The collective MileShift Report byline identifies the publisher, not a verified individual specialist. It must not imply a licensed professional has reviewed a page unless that person’s identity, relevant qualification and actual review role have been established. See Authors & Reviewers for how authorship and review labels should be interpreted. We do not describe AI-generated personas as members of an expert team.

Advertising, sponsorship and conflicts

Payment must not determine an independent editorial conclusion. Contributors should disclose relevant employment, clients, ownership interests, payments, free products or other benefits connected with the subject. Where a relationship could affect how a reader evaluates a recommendation, it needs a clear explanation near that content, not only on a separate policy page.

Our standard for paid promotional articles is a prominent label such as “Advertisement” or “Sponsored Advertising Content,” with the sponsor identified. The label should appear with a promotional preview and near the full article’s headline, be readable on mobile and remain with redistributed promotional content. A company logo or an ambiguous partnership label alone is insufficient for our purposes. These principles draw on the FTC’s native advertising guidance; citing that guidance is not a claim of regulatory approval or guaranteed compliance.

An affiliate recommendation should explain that qualifying activity may generate compensation and identify the relevant relationship. Disclosures must be truthful for that specific page. A general affiliate notice is not a reason to insert undisclosed commercial links into unrelated editorial work.

Guest contributions and paid links

Original automotive contributions may be considered when they serve readers and meet the same evidence standards. A paid guest post is commercial content, not an independent review simply because it has a byline. Submissions must disclose sponsorship, AI assistance and conflicts; copied text, invented experience and disguised link placements are unacceptable.

Our standard is to mark advertising, sponsorship and affiliate links with rel=”sponsored”. Google’s outbound-link documentation identifies that value for paid placements and also accepts nofollow. Ordinary editorial citations do not become paid links merely because they lead to another website. We do not sell guaranteed ranking credit, guaranteed traffic or guaranteed followed links. These are publishing requirements, not a claim that an automated audit has already checked every link in the archive.

Corrections, updates and safety limits

To report a problem, use Contact MileShift Report and include the page URL, disputed statement and strongest supporting source. The Fact-Checking & Corrections page describes the correction route. Do not send confidential personal records or payment details with a general inquiry.

A material correction should explain what changed and why. Minor spelling or formatting changes do not justify presenting an old report as newly researched. An update date should describe work actually done, rather than imply fresh testing or a new event. We do not promise a fixed response time or a laboratory retest following an inquiry.

Guides are not a diagnosis, repair authorization, recall-clearance certificate or warranty decision. Readers should confirm safety-critical information through the relevant regulator and manufacturer and obtain qualified help for the specific vehicle. Where evidence is incomplete, the responsible conclusion is to state the limit, not offer false reassurance.