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01 · Scope & purpose
This policy governs everything published in the AOFIRS Knowledge Library: articles, research reports, research papers, white papers, learning guides, directory entries and videos. It also governs the certification and course material we publish about our own programmes.
AOFIRS is a professional association for internet research specialists. We publish to advance research practice, not to sell placement. Where an item touches our commercial interests — our certification, our research services — we say so in the item itself.
02 · Who writes for AOFIRS
Nothing in the library is published under an institutional byline. Every item names a person, and every named person has a profile page stating their role, credentials, areas of expertise and full list of AOFIRS work.
Author
A named research specialist, in most cases CIRS-certified.
Researches and writes the item. Named on the page with their role, areas of expertise and an author profile listing everything they have written for AOFIRS.
Reviewer
A second CIRS-certified practitioner, not the author.
Checks method, sourcing and conclusions before publication. Named on every research report, paper, white paper and methodological article.
Editor
A member of the editorial board.
Owns accuracy, structure and compliance with this policy. Makes the final publication decision and signs off corrections.
We do not invent credentials, and we do not describe someone as a specialist in a field they do not practise in. Where an author writes outside their primary expertise, the item names the practitioner who reviewed it.
03 · How each resource type is produced
The library holds seven kinds of material and they are not produced the same way. The type badge on every item tells you which standard applies.
| Type | How it is produced | Review applied | Dates shown |
|---|---|---|---|
| Article | Written by a named specialist from primary sources and practitioner experience. | Editorial review; second-practitioner review where the article is methodological. | Published and updated dates |
| Research report | Original AOFIRS investigation with a stated method, sample and dataset. | CIRS panel review before release; method section published in full. | Published date + version |
| Research paper | Formal structured paper with abstract, method, results and references. | Two-reviewer check on method and citation accuracy. | Published date + version |
| White paper | Positional analysis ending in a recommendation the association stands behind. | CIRS panel review; recommendation approved by the editorial board. | Version + superseded status |
| Learning guide | Written against stated learning objectives and CIRS competencies. | Reviewed for instructional accuracy and currency. | Last reviewed date |
| Directory entry | A reviewer runs a documented test query against the live tool. | Re-checked on a published schedule, monthly to bi-annually by category. | Last tested date + reviewer |
| Video | Recorded by a named practitioner and published with a full transcript. | Transcript checked against the recording before release. | Recorded and published dates |
04 · Review before publication
A review is a check against sources, not a proofread. The reviewer works from the draft and the author’s source list, and is expected to open the sources rather than accept the citation.
The reviewer checks
A reviewer may not
05 · Sourcing standards
06 · Use of AI in our own work
We research AI-assisted search, so we are explicit about our own use of it. The rule we apply to ourselves is the one we teach: a generative tool can help you find and organise material, but it cannot be the source, and it cannot be the author.
What we do use it for
Retrieval and discovery, first-pass summarisation of material our specialists then read in full, transcription, and copy-editing suggestions.
What we do not use it for
Generating published analysis, conclusions or recommendations; producing citations; writing an item and passing it off as authored research.
What we disclose
Any item where AI assisted materially in its production carries a note stating how. A named human author is accountable for every published word either way.
07 · Updates & superseded material
Research about search technology ages quickly. Every item carries a published date and, where it has been revised, an update date and a note describing what changed. We do not refresh a date without changing the substance — a bumped date with no new work is a false signal.
White papers and reports are versioned. When a later edition supersedes an earlier one, the earlier stays online marked Superseded, with a link to its replacement, because people have already cited it. Directory entries carry a last-tested date and are re-checked on the schedule published in the directory itself.
08 · Corrections
We correct in public. Anyone can report an error to corrections@aofirs.org; we acknowledge within two working days and tell you the outcome, including when we conclude the item was right.
CORRECTION
A factual error affecting the meaning of a claim. Fixed within two working days, with a dated correction note at the foot of the item stating what changed.
Clarification
Accurate but open to misreading. Reworded, with a note where the original wording may have been relied on.
Update
New information supersedes part of the item. Updated in place, the update date changed, and the substantive change described.
Retraction
The central finding no longer holds. The item stays online, marked retracted, with an explanation. We do not quietly delete published work.
09 · Independence & funding
We do not accept payment for inclusion in the library or the directory, for placement or ranking within it, for a favourable review, or for a link. No listed tool, vendor or sponsor sees an item before publication or has any right of approval over it.
AOFIRS is funded by membership, certification and research services. Where an item discusses a tool we have a commercial relationship with, or a service we sell, the relationship is disclosed in the item. Authors and reviewers declare interests annually and recuse themselves case by case.
10 · Contributed content
We accept guest contributions from practitioners on subjects within our remit, under the same authorship, sourcing and review standards as staff work — a named author with verifiable credentials, primary sources, and a reviewer who is not the author.
Contributed material is labelled as such and published at /community/contributed/, outside the Knowledge Library, the topic hubs and the library sitemap. It carries a visible contributor disclosure. We do not publish content whose purpose is a link, and we do not accept material outside the field of internet research however it is framed.
QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS POLICY
Write to the editorial board at support@aofirs.org. Corrections go to info@aofirs.org and are handled under section 08.
WHY THIS PAGE IS THE HIGHEST-VALUE THING ON THE LIST
The audit’s first three critical findings were all trust findings: a shared support-inbox byline, four undefined claims, and no methodology anywhere. This page answers all three at once, and it is the page every other template links to — the article byline, the hub, the white-paper archive and the directory all point here. It is cheap to write and it is the single strongest signal available to both quality raters and answer-engine citation selection. It is also the page that makes the words tested, verified and reviewed safe to use elsewhere on the site.
