The Sources We Lean On
Practical guides are only as good as the material behind them. This page describes the kinds of sources the hub's writers consult, how they are weighed against each other and which ones are deliberately left alone. It does not list particular websites, because the right source depends on the device, the country and the date.
First choice: the people who make the thing
For anything involving a phone, an app or a gadget, the starting point is the maker's own documentation: built-in help screens, official support articles, release notes and printed manuals. When an article such as the iPhone offloading guide names a menu, that menu has been compared against current official instructions, because third-party summaries often lag behind software updates.
Rules come from the rule-makers
Travel, insurance and business topics often depend on rules. Here the hub reads the bodies that set them: aviation authorities and airline conditions of carriage for flying with a power bank, carrier terms for roaming, and insurer policy wordings and consumer guidance from regulators for pieces like pet insurance waiting periods. Where rules differ between countries, the article says so rather than picking one.
Standards and established methods
Some subjects rest on long-established practice rather than a single rulebook. Inventory methods, procedure writing and colour grading all have widely used conventions that appear in textbooks, trade training material and software documentation. Articles describe those conventions in general terms and avoid presenting one firm's preferences as the only way.
How sources are weighed
| Source type | Used for | Treated with care because |
|---|---|---|
| Official documentation | Steps, settings, specifications | It can describe the newest version before it reaches your device |
| Regulator and authority guidance | Rules, limits, rights | It varies by country and is revised over time |
| Policy wordings and terms | What a contract usually includes | Each insurer or provider writes its own |
| Product specifications | Capacities, compatibility | Marketing pages sometimes round generously |
What we leave out
- Statistics that cannot be traced to a clear origin.
- Quotes from unnamed "experts" or invented testimonials.
- Forum posts presented as fact, although they can point to a question worth researching.
- Predictions stated as certainties.
When the honest answer is "it depends", the article says that and explains what it depends on.
When sources disagree
Sometimes official pages contradict each other, or a rule is changing. In those cases the article describes the safer reading, flags the uncertainty and suggests confirming with the provider directly. If you know of a more current source on a subject we cover, the contact page is the place to tell us, and the outcome follows the steps on Corrections at the Hub. The wider writing routine is on How the Hub Works.
Weighing material
How a source earns its place in a guide
The order in which reference material is read and trusted.
Start with the maker
Official help screens, manuals and release notes come first for anything with a menu.
Read the rule-setter
Limits and rights are checked with the authority or company that actually sets them.
Compare two versions
When documentation and the real screen disagree, both are noted and the safer reading wins.
Date the check
Each verified detail gets a mental timestamp, so the page is revisited when the rule moves.
Questions? Write to us.
Suggestions help us plan.