Editorial policy

Rules of the colonnade

The Pillar reports work that is still moving, and this policy states how far the newsroom will follow a claim.

Evidence before conclusion

A preprint, a conference abstract and a peer reviewed paper are named for what they are.

A correlation reported in a study is not written up as a demonstrated cause.

Naming the study and the team

Every finding carries the journal, the institution and the date the work was published.

A figure taken from a press release is attributed to that release, not to the research itself.

Findings get revised

A retraction or a failed replication sends the newsroom back to the story that carried the original claim.

A correction raised through the contact form is checked against the source and dated on the page.

The bylines of the colonnade

An author page states which fields a byline covers, without claiming an academic post or affiliation.

Sponsors, institutions and research

No institution buys coverage of its work or the removal of a qualification.

Scope of this publication

Institution names identify the source of a study, announcement or programme discussed in an article.

The publication covers science, work and student life across its existing sections.