Review Process

Last updated: July 26, 2026

Every Auto Features Expert vehicle article must complete the review process below before publication. These checks are publication requirements, not optional recommendations.

1. Research brief and scope lock

Before drafting begins, the article records its U.S. search intent, target vehicle, model year or generation, body style, trim, engine, transmission, drivetrain, and exclusions. The brief also records the pillar page, supporting pages, planned internal links, and cannibalization risks.

2. Required source matrix

Recall, investigation, complaint, and manufacturer-communication claims are checked against NHTSA or the applicable manufacturer record.
Specifications, engine data, capacities, and service requirements are checked against manufacturer documents or official government data.
Fuel-economy claims are checked against EPA or fueleconomy.gov records for the applicable configuration.
Repair-cost ranges require at least two current U.S. sources and a recorded check date.
Owner-reported patterns require multiple independent reports and are labeled as owner-reported evidence.
Competitor articles may reveal questions or content gaps, but they are never used as factual evidence.

3. Draft review

The draft must answer the search intent directly, use a structure suited to the topic, and avoid fixed word counts or repeated boilerplate. The editor removes unsupported claims, false precision, repetitive warnings, invented owner consensus, unnecessary FAQs, and sections created only to make an article longer.

4. Fact-check requirements

Model years, generations, engine and transmission codes, trims, and affected configurations are verified.
Recall numbers, TSB identifiers, dates, remedies, and affected production ranges are checked against the original record.
Every material technical claim uses a primary source when an accessible primary source exists.
Costs, mileage thresholds, and lifespan estimates include context, source dates, and limitations.
Conflicting evidence is disclosed instead of silently choosing the most convenient figure.

5. Editorial and SEO review

The title and opening answer match the live U.S. search intent.
The page has one distinct purpose and does not duplicate another Auto Features Expert URL.
Internal links connect the article to its model hub, parent pillar, and genuinely useful supporting pages.
SEO title, meta description, slug, Make, Model, and Year taxonomies are complete.
References lead to the original source rather than search-result pages or copied summaries.
Schema and FAQ markup are used only when the visible page content supports them.

6. Mandatory article verification panel

No Vehicle article is approved for publication without a visible verification panel containing:

Written by — the named author responsible for the draft.
Reviewed by — the person responsible for source verification and final editorial review. If the writer performs both roles, this is stated directly.
Last verified — the date the source evidence was most recently checked.
Primary sources checked — the official source categories used for the article.
AI use — a clear explanation that AI may assist organization and editing but is not a factual source.
Corrections and update history — a record of material corrections or a statement that none have been recorded.

7. Human publication gate

Alex Fric currently performs the research, writing, source-verification review, and final editorial approval for Auto Features Expert vehicle content. We state this openly and do not claim an independent second reviewer when one did not participate. If a specialist or additional reviewer contributes, that person and relevant role are named on the article.

A draft remains unpublished if any required source, attribution, verification field, taxonomy, or internal link is missing.

8. AI-assisted workflow

AI-assisted tools are limited to query research, outline preparation, source organization, comparison, draft refinement, consistency checking, and internal-link suggestions. AI output is not accepted as evidence. Vehicle facts, dates, specifications, recalls, service information, and cost figures must be verified against the sources listed in the article.

9. Updates and corrections

Recall and safety information is rechecked whenever an article is materially updated. Significant factual corrections state what changed and the date of the correction. Dates are not changed solely to create an appearance of freshness. Reader reports are investigated under the Corrections Policy.