# Editorial guidelines

> Which sources we use, how we verify provider information, how providers can request corrections and how we keep commercial relationships separate from scores.

- URL: https://globalcontractor.io/editorial-guidelines/
- Updated: 2026-10-06

## What sources do we use?

### Tier 1 — provider's official sources

Used for:

- Pricing
- Countries covered
- Services
- Features
- Payment methods
- Supported currencies
- Integrations
- Contract terms
- Entity model
- Certifications
- Product capabilities

Examples include:

- Official provider website
- Official pricing pages
- Official documentation
- Official help center
- Official terms and policies
- Official product documentation

Provider claims are clearly identified as provider-reported information where independent verification is not possible.

### Tier 2 — official government and regulatory sources

Used where appropriate to verify:

- Legal entities
- Registrations
- Licenses
- Regulatory status
- Local employment requirements
- Official corporate information

### Tier 3 — independent review platforms

Used primarily for:

- Customer sentiment
- Review volume
- Review ratings
- Recurring customer feedback

Examples may include G2, Capterra, Trustpilot and other relevant platforms.

## What we do not use as direct evidence

We do not treat the following as sufficient evidence on their own:

- Advertising claims
- "Best in the industry" statements
- Awards without transparent methodology
- Undocumented claims
- Anonymous claims
- Affiliate rankings
- Search engine rankings
- AI-generated summaries from other websites
- A provider's own testimonials as independent customer evidence

## Review and verification policy

We aim to keep provider information current because pricing, country coverage and product capabilities change frequently.

Each provider record has a Last Verified date.

High-change data such as:

- pricing,
- country availability,
- payment methods,
- product features

should be reviewed regularly.

Where a material change is identified, we update the relevant provider data and recalculate the affected score.

## Provider corrections and right to respond

Providers may contact us if they believe that information on their profile is inaccurate.

We welcome corrections supported by verifiable evidence.

When a provider submits new evidence:

- We review the information.
- We verify it against the relevant source where possible.
- We update the database if the evidence supports the correction.
- We recalculate the affected score where necessary.
- We update the "Last Verified" date.

A provider's disagreement with a score does not automatically result in a score change.

Scores change when the underlying evidence changes.

## Commercial independence

Commercial relationships must not determine editorial scores.

A provider cannot purchase:

- a higher score,
- a higher ranking,
- a positive review,
- an award badge,
- or a favorable editorial conclusion.

If we use affiliate links, referral partnerships or other commercial relationships, these relationships do not determine the underlying score.

Any commercial relationship is disclosed where applicable.

## No pay-to-rank

Providers are evaluated using the same scoring framework regardless of whether they have a commercial relationship with us.

Commercial participation does not guarantee a particular position in a ranking.