EDITORIAL GUIDELINES

Purpose and Scope

CharlieAITools is an independent directory and publication covering AI software and related services. These Editorial guidelines apply to all editorial outputs, including reviews, rankings, comparisons, buyer’s guides, news explainers, newsletters, social posts, multimedia, and landing pages that present editorial judgments. They also apply to experiments, benchmarks, and any model-generated artifacts that we publish or embed.

Editorial Independence and Governance

Editorial decision-making is structurally separated from commercial functions. Writers and editors select topics, test tools, assign scores, and write conclusions without interference from sales or partnerships. Sponsored material and commercial placements are labeled and firewalled from the editorial workflow. The Editor-in-Chief has final say on all judgments and may decline or remove content that risks bias, legal exposure, or reader confusion. No vendor, advertiser, or affiliate program may buy our verdicts, scores, or rankings.

Ethics and Conflicts of Interest

We avoid real or perceived conflicts. Staff may not accept gifts, perks, or payments from vendors, beyond limited-value access required to test a product (for example trial keys or demo accounts). Any prior employment, advisory roles, equity holdings, or family relationships that could influence coverage must be disclosed to the Editor-in-Chief and, where material, to readers in an Editor’s Note. No contributor may review or rank a product they helped build, sell, or invest in. When in doubt, we recuse.

Sourcing and Verification

Facts are verified against primary sources whenever possible, such as official documentation, release notes, pricing pages, and security whitepapers. We corroborate technical claims with hands-on testing or reproducible demonstrations; if a claim cannot be verified, we clearly state the limitation or uncertainty. We timestamp key facts—pricing, feature availability, model limits—so readers can judge freshness. Anonymous sources are rare and used only when necessary and justifiable; in those cases we corroborate with additional evidence and disclose the anonymity.

Testing and Ratings Methodology

Our evaluations follow a consistent rubric that weighs capabilities, usability, value, privacy and security, and support and roadmap. We prefer practical, scenario-based tests using trials, demos, or sandboxed environments to replicate real workflows. Where appropriate, we publish test prompts, inputs, and high-level system context so results can be understood and, within reason, reproduced. Scores are assigned by editors with domain expertise and are supported by narrative reasoning explaining trade-offs and edge cases. We update major listings on a regular cadence—typically every 90 to 120 days—or sooner after significant releases, pricing changes, or security disclosures. If we cannot test a feature, we say so and avoid definitive claims.

Use of AI in Editorial Work

AI systems assist our research, drafting, and quality checks, but they do not replace editorial judgment. All published content undergoes human review for accuracy, clarity, and context. We label model-generated outputs and AI-created images where they appear, and we avoid synthetic representations that could mislead readers. We do not permit models trained on our content to determine final scores or verdicts. Any automation that transforms vendor materials is disclosed and checked by an editor before publication.

Affiliate Links, Sponsorships, and Disclosures

We participate in affiliate programs and may earn commissions when readers sign up or purchase through our links. This does not affect the price readers pay, nor our opinions. We follow applicable disclosure standards, including U.S. FTC Endorsement Guides, UK CMA guidance on online endorsements, and EU transparency obligations.

Disclosures appear near affiliate links and above the fold in sponsored pieces in clear language understood by a general audience. A short example of the affiliate disclosure that may appear near commercial elements is: “Some links are affiliate; we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Learn more on our Transparency page.” Sponsored content is labeled “Sponsored” in the header and adjacent to the product name; sponsors do not review or edit our conclusions.

Vendor Access, Review Units, and Embargoes

Vendors sometimes provide temporary accounts, demo access, or technical briefings. We welcome access that enables realistic testing and disclose such assistance in an Editor’s Note when it is material to the evaluation. We honor reasonable embargoes to ensure accurate coverage at launch, but we do not accept preconditions that limit our findings, require positive coverage, or grant editorial control. If we discover restrictions that would compromise independence, we delay or decline publication.

Privacy, Data Handling, and Test Artifacts

When testing AI tools, we avoid uploading sensitive personal data or proprietary client content. If a product’s evaluation requires sample datasets, we use synthetic or fully anonymized data. We review a tool’s privacy policy, data retention, training usage, and opt-out controls, and we report material concerns in the review. Any interactions with support or sales are treated as off-the-record unless both parties agree otherwise; we never publish private keys, credentials, or internal documentation supplied under NDA.

Plagiarism, Originality, and Attribution

We do not tolerate plagiarism. All quoted or adapted material is attributed, and we link to sources where appropriate. When summarizing vendor documentation or research papers, we add original analysis and clearly distinguish between a vendor claim and our independent findings. AI assistance must never produce derivative content that infringes others’ rights; editors are responsible for ensuring originality and proper credit.

Images, Screenshots, and Licensing

Product screenshots and interface captures are used for reporting and review under fair use, and are labeled to avoid confusion with marketing imagery where relevant. Logos are used for identification. Stock images, illustrations, and AI-generated visuals are permitted only when they add clarity and must not misrepresent product capabilities. We maintain licenses for third-party assets and document their terms; AI-generated images are labeled as such.

Accessibility, Inclusivity, and Reader Experience

We write for clarity, using plain language and concrete examples. Pages are structured with clear headings, descriptive link text, and alt text for meaningful images. We avoid stereotypes and biased framing and strive to represent a diverse range of use cases and users. We aim for fast, lightweight pages, minimizing intrusive elements and clearly labeling any ads or sponsored placements.

User Contributions, Comments, and Moderation

When we publish user reviews or comments, we apply moderation to remove spam, hate speech, harassment, and disinformation. We mark user-contributed opinions as such and do not merge them with editorial scores. Vendors may reply to user feedback, but the editorial team moderates tone and relevance to keep discussions constructive. Allegations about security, fraud, or safety receive priority review by an editor before publication or escalation.

Corrections, Updates, and Retractions

Accuracy is a process. Readers can request corrections at [email protected]. We correct factual errors promptly, annotate material changes with a visible update note, and—where appropriate—preserve prior versions in a changelog. If a piece is fundamentally flawed, we retract it and explain why. Pricing, availability, and feature changes are common in AI products; we timestamp pages and refresh them on a defined cadence or upon major vendor updates.

Security and Vulnerability Reporting

If you discover a security issue related to our site or to code samples we publish, please report it responsibly to [email protected] with “Security” in the subject line. Do not publicly disclose before we acknowledge and address the issue. We will provide timely confirmation and, when appropriate, credit the reporter.

Legal and Compliance Framework

We operate with attention to applicable regulations, including consumer protection and advertising standards in relevant jurisdictions. This includes the U.S. FTC Endorsement Guides, UK CMA guidance, EU Digital Services Act transparency requirements as applicable to our services, and standard intellectual property and data protection laws. Our Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, Terms of Service, and Transparency page explain how we handle data, cookies, and disclosures; we link to them from every page and from this document.

Contact and Escalation

For editorial questions, corrections, or concerns about potential bias or conflicts, email [email protected]. For partnership inquiries or sponsorship proposals, use our Contact page so the request is routed to the appropriate team without crossing editorial boundaries. If you believe we have not met these standards, ask for an escalation to the Editor-in-Chief; we commit to a thoughtful review and a written response.

Versioning and Maintenance

These Editorial guidelines are living policy. We review them at least twice a year and after significant regulatory or platform changes. Material revisions are logged on this page with a brief summary of what changed and why, and the “Last updated” date reflects the most recent substantive edit.

Last updated: October 1, 2025