Our editorial standards — how we research, write, review, and publish health content
Every piece of health content published on Doctiplus is held to a clear, consistent editorial standard. This page explains exactly how we work — who writes our content, who reviews it, which sources we use, and how we correct mistakes.
1. Our editorial mission
Doctiplus publishes health content with one purpose — to help patients understand their health, their conditions, and their options, so they can make informed decisions in conversation with their doctor.
We are a doctor directory and healthcare platform, not a hospital or medical publisher. Our health guides, articles, condition pages, and FAQ content are written to educate — never to diagnose, treat, or replace the advice of a qualified licensed medical professional.
Accuracy
Every factual claim is sourced from peer-reviewed research, clinical guidelines, or authoritative health organisations — and is reviewed by a licensed medical professional before publication.
Balance
Where medical evidence is evolving or contested, we present the current state of understanding honestly — acknowledging uncertainty rather than presenting a single definitive answer where none exists.
Clarity
We write in plain English — or plain language in any language we publish — so patients everywhere can understand their health without needing a medical degree. No unnecessary jargon, ever.
2. Who writes our content
Doctiplus health content is produced by a team of trained health writers and, where appropriate, directly by licensed medical professionals who contribute from their area of clinical expertise.
Health Writers
Our editorial team includes writers with backgrounds in health journalism, medical communications, and public health. All health writers follow our editorial style guide, source every claim, and submit their work for medical review before it is published. Writers do not decide what goes live — our medical reviewers do.
Medical Reviewers
Every piece of health content on Doctiplus is reviewed by at least one licensed medical professional with relevant expertise before publication. Our medical reviewers check factual accuracy, clinical appropriateness, and ensure no content could mislead patients into making unsafe health decisions. The name and specialty of the reviewing doctor is displayed on every reviewed article.
Contributing Doctors From Our Directory
Verified doctors listed on Doctiplus may contribute articles and expert commentary within their area of specialisation. All doctor-contributed content goes through the same editorial review process as staff-written content. Doctors do not write about topics outside their verified specialty.
Our founding medical advisory council — Dr. Mitchell Dobrzelewski, Dr. Jon Susa, Dr. Ghaydaa Sayed Ahmed, Asst. Prof. Dr. Naseem Chaudhry, and Dr. Sumit Mishra — advise on editorial standards and content policy across specialties and geographic regions. Their clinical expertise across four countries informs how we approach health content for a genuinely global patient audience.
3. Medical review process
Every health article, condition guide, FAQ answer, and editorial health page on Doctiplus goes through the following review process before publication:
Research and Drafting
Writer researches the topic using approved sources (listed in Section 4), drafts the content, and cites every factual claim with a source reference.
Editorial Review
Senior editor checks structure, clarity, tone, and source quality. Returns for revision if needed before it reaches a medical reviewer.
Medical Review
A licensed medical professional with relevant expertise reviews every factual claim, flags anything that could be clinically misleading, and approves or requests revision before publication is permitted.
Publication and Attribution
Published content displays the author’s name, the reviewing doctor’s name and specialty, the publication date, and the date of last medical review — all visible to readers on every article.
Content that has not completed this review process is not published
No health content on Doctiplus goes live without medical review. If a reviewer cannot be found for a specific specialty, the content is held until an appropriate reviewer is available. We do not publish unreviewed health claims.
4. Sources and evidence standards
Doctiplus editorial content relies only on authoritative, peer-reviewed, and clinically accepted sources. We do not cite blogs, forums, social media, or unrefereed sources as evidence for health claims.
Approved source categories — in order of priority:
- Peer-reviewed clinical research: Published in PubMed, The Lancet, NEJM, BMJ, JAMA, and equivalent peer-reviewed medical journals
- National and international health authorities: WHO, NIH, CDC, NHS (UK), Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Johns Hopkins Medicine
- Clinical practice guidelines: Guidelines published by recognised specialty bodies — e.g. NICE (UK), AHA, ACC, AAP, BMA, PMDC, DHA
- Expert clinical input:Direct commentary and review from licensed doctors on our platform and advisory council — always attributed by name and specialty
Sources are cited inline in every Doctiplus health article and listed in a references section at the bottom of each page. Readers can click any source to view the original research or guideline directly.
5. What our health content covers
Doctiplus publishes the following categories of health content — all subject to the editorial process described in this policy:
What We Cover
- Condition guides — symptoms, causes, diagnosis, treatment options
- General wellness — nutrition, sleep, exercise, mental health
- Understanding medical tests and what results mean
- How to find and choose the right type of doctor
- Telehealth — how it works and when it is appropriate
- Medication overviews — general information only
- Health news and research updates — with context
- FAQ answers on common patient questions
What we do not cover
- Personalised medical advice or individual diagnosis
- Specific dosage or prescription recommendations
- Alternative or unproven treatments without clinical evidence
- Health claims not supported by peer-reviewed evidence
- Promotional or sponsored health claims presented as editorial
- Emergency medical guidance — always call emergency services
6. Editorial independence
Doctiplus editorial content is produced independently of all commercial relationships. This means:
- Pharmaceutical companies, medical device manufacturers, and supplement brands have no influence over what we publish, how we write about treatments, or which conditions we cover.
- Doctors listed on Doctiplus — including premium listing subscribers — do not receive editorial coverage in exchange for their listing fee. Commercial relationships are never disclosed within editorial content because they never influence it.
- Advertising partners — if and when Doctiplus accepts advertising — are kept entirely separate from editorial content. No advertiser can request coverage, influence a review, or alter published content.
- Our medical reviewers are not compensated based on the conclusions they reach. Their only obligation is accuracy and patient safety.
- If a Doctiplus team member, advisory council member, or listed doctor has a conflict of interest relevant to a piece of content, they are excluded from the review of that content.
Doctiplus does not accept pharmaceutical advertising, hospital group sponsorship, or paid editorial placement. This is a commercial decision we have made deliberately and permanently — because our credibility with patients depends on it. If this ever changes, we will update this policy immediately and conspicuously.
7. How we handle corrections
We take factual accuracy seriously. If an error is identified in any published content — by a reader, a medical professional, or our own team — we act on it quickly and transparently.
Critical Errors
Any error that could mislead a patient into an unsafe health decision — corrected and republished within 24 hours. A visible correction notice is added to the article permanently.
Factual Errors
Incorrect facts, outdated statistics, or inaccurate clinical information — corrected within 72 hours. Correction noted at the bottom of the article with the corrected date.
Editorial Updates
New research changes the understanding of a topic — updated at the next scheduled review or sooner if clinically significant. Update date shown on the article.
To report an error in any Doctiplus health content, email editorial@doctiplus.com with the article URL and a description of the error. We will acknowledge all correction requests within 48 hours.
8. Content update policy
Medical knowledge evolves. Guidelines change. New research overturns previous understanding. Doctiplus is committed to keeping its health content current.
- Every published article displays a “Last medically reviewed” date — so readers always know how recently the content was checked against current clinical guidance.
- Standard articles are reviewed every 12 months — sooner if significant new guidelines or research are published in that area
- High-traffic or sensitive topic articles (chronic conditions, mental health, cancer, diabetes) are reviewed every 6 months.
- Articles more than 24 months old that have not been reviewed are marked with a visible “Pending medical review” notice until the review is complete.
- Archived or retired content that is no longer current is removed from our active index rather than left live and potentially misleading.
9. Accessibility and plain language
Doctiplus serves patients across 130+ countries and in 50+ languages. Our editorial standards reflect that global responsibility:
- All health content is written at an accessible reading level — clear, direct language that a patient with no medical background can understand.
- Medical terms are explained in plain language on first use — not assumed as prior knowledge.
- Content translated or published in languages other than English goes through the same editorial and medical review process in that language.
- Images, diagrams, and illustrations used in health content carry descriptive alt text for screen reader accessibility.
- We write for patients, not for search engines — keyword optimisation is applied only where it does not compromise the clarity or integrity of the content.
10. Contact our editorial team
For corrections, editorial queries, content partnership enquiries, or feedback on any published content — contact us directly.