Editorial policy

Choosing topics

We write about the health topics that affect the most Australians from their mid-forties onward. We decide what those are from national data, mainly the Australian Bureau of Statistics National Health Survey, rather than from what happens to be trending.

Sources

We work from published sources and we name them. In order of preference:

1. Australian government and statutory bodies, such as the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Healthdirect, the Department of Health and the National Health and Medical Research Council.
2. Australian health foundations and professional bodies, such as the Heart Foundation, the Liver Foundation, Diabetes Australia, Arthritis Australia and the Sleep Health Foundation.
3. Peer-reviewed research, where no Australian guidance exists or where a study is the subject of the article.

Every figure in an article is taken from a source listed at the end of that article. If we cannot trace a claim to a source we can open and read, we leave it out.

How articles are written

Articles are published under the name of the Wattle & Well editorial team. We use software tools, including AI, to help research and draft, and each article is checked against its sources before it is published. Our articles are not reviewed by a medical practitioner, and we do not claim that they are.

What we do not do

• We do not diagnose, and we do not tell readers what their own test results mean.
• We do not promise outcomes.
• We do not invent case studies, quotes or experts.
• Our articles do not recommend products.

Advertising

Wattle & Well is funded by advertising. Advertising features are produced separately from our articles and are identified as advertising on the page.

Updates and corrections

Health guidance changes. Each article shows the month it was last updated. When we find or are told about an error, we fix it and, where the change matters to the meaning, note the correction at the foot of the article. To report an error, see the contact page.