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Editorial Policy

Editorial Policy Digitally Learn produces study material for UPSC Civil Services Examination aspirants (Preliminary and Main) and for State Public Service Commission aspirants who use the same syllabus surface. This...

Last updated May 2026

Editorial Policy

Digitally Learn produces study material for UPSC Civil Services Examination aspirants (Preliminary and Main) and for State Public Service Commission aspirants who use the same syllabus surface. This page sets out how we research, verify, structure, and correct that material so aspirants and reviewers can audit the process.

1. Sourcing standard

Every article is researched and written from primary or near-primary sources. The acceptable source-class hierarchy in descending order of authority is:

  1. NCERT textbooks for the canonical UPSC syllabus substrate.
  2. Government of India sources: Ministry / Department portals, PIB releases, parliamentary records (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha question hour, standing-committee reports), gazetted Acts, Constitution of India, official commission reports.
  3. UN-system bodies: UNFCCC, IPCC, WHO, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNEP, UNDP, FAO, World Bank, IMF, OECD, ADB.
  4. Indian scientific institutions: ISRO, IMD, GSI, NCS, ICAR, NBSSLUP, IIT / IISc peer-reviewed research, BIS standards.
  5. International scientific institutions: NASA, NOAA, USGS, IUCN, IPBES.
  6. Peer-reviewed academic literature.
  7. Wikipedia as a currency cross-check only, never as the primary citation for a factual claim.

Coaching-institute websites, exam-prep aggregators, news-paraphrase blogs, and undated PDFs from unknown hosts are not acceptable sources and do not appear in our citation graph.

2. Verification workflow

Before an article is flipped from draft to public, it passes through:

  • Layer A: deterministic checks against a fact catalogue of verified key-value claims (years, statute references, case citations, scientific constants, statistical values). A claim that fails value-presence verification against its source URL blocks publication.
  • Layer B: an editorial critic review of voice, structure, syllabus alignment, and PYQ linkage.
  • Body factcheck sidecar: every authoritative URL cited in the body is HEAD-checked for resolvability against the live source.
  • Visual review: the rendered draft is reviewed for layout, figure accuracy, and on-page readability before going live.

3. Source diversity

Each topic carries at least six unique authoritative hosts. NCERT plus Wikipedia alone does not meet the diversity bar; the topic-specific Ministry portal, the relevant scientific institution, and the latest PIB / parliamentary record are mandatory complements.

4. Structural standard

Every article follows a consistent structural spine: definition, why-it-matters, significance, distinguishing features, observable outcomes, contemporary linkages, and PYQ linkage. Sentence length is calibrated for academic-textbook readability. Em dashes, casual filler, and unsupported superlatives are not used.

5. Updates & freshness

Articles carry a visible “Last updated” date at the top. When primary-source data shifts (a new census release, a Cabinet decision, a budget allocation), the relevant article is re-authored from primary substrate, not patched at the citation level, and the modification date refreshes.

6. Corrections

Every confirmed factual correction is logged at /corrections/ with: the date the correction was made, the original text, the corrected text, and the source we used to verify the fix. Aspirants are encouraged to report suspected errors via the contact page.

7. Authorship attribution

The default byline is Shikher Goyal, founder and editorial lead, who personally reviews every article before publication. When a subject-matter specialist drafts or contributes substantially to an article, that contribution is credited inline. See About the author for full credentials.

8. Independence & conflicts of interest

Digitally Learn is independently operated. We do not accept sponsored placements, paid back-links, or advertising for coaching institutes anywhere on the site. The paid Test Series product is the only revenue stream and is clearly demarcated.