Documenting the Editorial Standard
Dranvelo Letters operates under the following editorial principles: articles are reviewed by at least one second editor before publication, sources are cited where appropriate, corrections are noted publicly, and writers disclose any commercial relationships that could influence their selection of subject matter.
How Sources Are Selected and Used
Articles in Dranvelo Letters reference published research from peer-reviewed journals and reputable institutional sources. Editorial selection prioritises long-running studies and replicated findings. Where a claim rests on a single study or a study that has not been independently replicated, the article notes this limitation explicitly.
Writers are instructed not to reference findings from sources they have not read in full. Abstracts-only sourcing is prohibited. Where a full-text article is not accessible, the writer must indicate this and note the limitation in the relevant passage.
The publication does not cite its own prior articles as primary sources. Where a subject has been covered in a previous piece, the connection is noted but the current article's claims must be independently grounded.
Quotations from research are reproduced with sufficient context to avoid misrepresenting the original finding. Writers are expected to read the relevant section of a cited source in its surrounding context before incorporating a quotation.
- Peer-reviewed nutrition journals
- Population-level dietary studies
- UK NHS dietary reference values
- Longitudinal observational studies
- Replicated dietary pattern research
- Single-study findings
- Industry-funded research
- Short-duration trials (under 4 weeks)
- Small sample studies (under 50 participants)
- Pre-print, non-peer-reviewed papers
- Anecdotal social media reports
- Commercial product claims
- Non-indexed blogs or forums
- Press releases without underlying data
- Testimonials of any kind
The Verification Process
Every article submitted for publication undergoes a two-stage review. The first stage is conducted by the commissioning editor, who checks the piece against its stated sources and notes any claims that require additional grounding. The second stage is conducted by an independent second editor, who reviews the first editor's notes and checks a random selection of the article's factual claims against the primary sources cited.
Draft Submission
Writer submits a fully drafted article with all sources listed. Sources must be accessible to the editorial team — URLs, DOIs, or physical reference details are required for every factual claim.
Primary Editor Review
The commissioning editor reads the full article against the source list, flags any claims that are not clearly grounded in cited material, and returns a marked document to the writer for revision.
Vocabulary and Register Review
The article is checked against the publication's vocabulary standards — a defined set of terms and registers that are either required or prohibited. This step ensures no article uses marketing-register language, unsupported quantitative claims, or language that implies evaluative or instructive intent.
Second Editor Sign-off
An independent second editor reviews the revised draft and the commissioning editor's notes. The second editor has no prior involvement with the article and provides an independent assessment. Sign-off from the second editor is required before publication proceeds.
Publication and Archiving
The approved article is published with a dateline and author attribution. The source list is retained in the editorial archive. If a reader subsequently identifies an error, the correction process (Section 03) applies.
Corrections Policy
Dranvelo Letters maintains a public corrections policy. Where a factual error in a published article is identified — whether by the editorial team or by a reader — the following procedure applies.
Minor corrections (typographical errors, formatting inconsistencies) are corrected without notice. Substantive corrections (factual errors, misattributed quotations, incorrectly represented research findings) are noted with a correction notice appended at the foot of the relevant article. The notice states the original text, the correction, and the date on which it was made.
In cases where a substantial portion of an article's argument rests on a materially incorrect claim, the article may be retracted. Retracted articles are replaced with a notice explaining the retraction — the original text is not removed from the editorial archive but is marked clearly as retracted and the reasons stated.
Readers who identify a potential error are invited to contact the editorial team via the contact form, selecting "Correction Request" as the subject.
Transparency Statement
Dranvelo Letters is an independent editorial publication. It is not affiliated with any food producer, supplement manufacturer, wellness programme, governmental body, or professional association.
The publication does not accept advertising, sponsored content, or promotional fees of any kind. It does not engage in affiliate marketing arrangements. If this position changes, the change will be disclosed prominently on the relevant pages and in an editorial notice.
Writers and editors are required to disclose any commercial relationships that could influence their selection of subject matter — including past or present employment by food industry bodies, supplement companies, or wellness service providers. Disclosed relationships are noted at the foot of the relevant article.
The publication's editorial decisions are made by its principal and contributing editors. No article is commissioned, reviewed, or approved by a party with a commercial interest in its subject matter.
Questions About This Methodology
If you have a question about how a specific article was sourced or verified, or if you wish to request a correction, the editorial team can be reached via the contact page.