How SpecPlain decides what to publish and what to trust
Our goal is not to produce the largest number of pages. It is to make each page useful enough that a reader can understand the specification and know what to verify next.
Source priority
For technical claims we prefer evidence in this order:
- standards bodies, certification organizations, and official specification administrators;
- manufacturer datasheets and technical documentation;
- major platform or operating-system documentation;
- reputable secondary technical sources when no better primary source is available.
Secondary articles are not used as the sole basis for a claim when a suitable primary source can be accessed.
Originality standard
SpecPlain does not republish or lightly rewrite existing articles. Each guide must add a clear explanatory structure, an original calculation, a comparison method, a decision checklist, or another useful synthesis that gives readers a reason to use the page rather than the source list alone.
Why a page gets published
A page must answer a distinct consumer specification or compatibility question that fits the site's existing scope. Search volume, a keyword variant, or the ability to generate another page is not enough. If a topic can be covered clearly inside an existing guide, the preferred action is to improve that guide instead of creating a near-duplicate page.
Calculations
When we derive a number from a formula, we explain the formula or underlying units. Browser-side calculators use the same visible method and do not call an external calculation API.
Compatibility claims
We distinguish a standard's theoretical capability from a device-specific guarantee. A cable, connector, protocol, or bandwidth label is only one part of an end-to-end system. When a feature depends on multiple devices, ports, firmware, modes, or implementation choices, the guide identifies those dependencies.
Commercial influence
The site contains no sponsored rankings, paid placements, or affiliate links. If commercial relationships are added in the future, they must be disclosed clearly and may not change the factual standard used to evaluate a specification.
Updates
Guides that depend on active standards include a source-check date. Material changes in standards, cable categories, certification rules, or primary documentation should trigger a review before the affected guide is promoted as current.
Corrections
Confirmed factual errors are corrected in the affected article. If an error materially changes an article's practical conclusion, the page's update date is changed and the revised wording should make the corrected conclusion clear. The current site does not collect reader submissions; the contact and corrections page explains that privacy-minimal choice.
Automation and AI
AI and other automation may substantially assist research triage, drafting, comparison structure, calculations, consistency checks, and page generation. The use of AI assistance is disclosed on the About page. Automation is not treated as a source of factual authority.
Before publication, technical claims must be traceable to cited evidence or transparent arithmetic. Automated drafts must add original synthesis rather than merely paraphrasing sources, and automated checks are used to catch structural problems such as missing sources, broken internal links, sitemap drift, or inconsistent production signals.
SpecPlain does not invent first-hand testing, ownership, interviews, or personal experience. If a future page relies on hands-on testing, the page must say what was tested and how. Current guides are specifications references unless they explicitly state otherwise.
Safety boundary
SpecPlain is a general consumer reference. We avoid giving high-stakes medical, legal, financial, or safety-critical instructions. Manufacturer instructions and applicable professional guidance take priority where misuse could create meaningful harm.
See Sources and methodology for the source hierarchy, calculation treatment, and reference families used by the current guide library.