Editorial policy

What we are for

Diurna exists to explain everyday health clearly. Public-health bodies publish excellent guidance on eating, sleeping, moving and mental wellbeing, but it is often scattered, written for professionals, or buried in long documents. Our job is to report what that guidance says, in plain language, without exaggerating it.

We write for adults who are generally well and want to look after themselves. We do not write for people seeking a diagnosis or treatment; they need a clinician, and we say so.

Where our facts come from

We rank sources, and we prefer the ones at the top:

1. Public-health bodies and national health services, such as the World Health Organization, the NHS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health.
2. Clinical guidelines and evidence reviews, such as systematic reviews and position statements from professional bodies.
3. Individual peer-reviewed studies, used to add detail, and never as the only support for a claim that matters.

We do not rely on press releases, commercial websites, social media or anecdote. We do not present a single small or early study as settled fact. Where the evidence is limited or experts disagree, we say that rather than choosing a side.

Every article lists its sources at the end, with links to the publisher's own page, so that you can check our reading of them.

How an article is made

1. Choosing the topic. We pick questions people genuinely ask about everyday health, where good public guidance exists.
2. Research. We read the primary guidance on the topic and note exactly what it says, including its limits.
3. Drafting. We write a draft in plain language. We use AI-assisted tools to help with research and drafting.
4. Checking. A human editor checks every factual claim, figure and recommendation in the draft against the source it cites, and removes anything that cannot be supported. AI tools can make confident mistakes, which is why nothing is published on their word alone.
5. Publication. The article is published with its author, its publication date and its sources.
6. Review. We aim to re-read each article at least once a year, and sooner if the guidance behind it changes. The date of the last update is shown on the page.

Who writes and who reviews

Articles are written by the Diurna editorial team and edited by Hanzla Amjad. Neither is medically qualified, and we say so on our authors page and in our medical disclaimer.

We do not invent experts. If an article has been reviewed by a qualified health professional, that person is named on the article with their real qualification. If no reviewer is named, the article has not been medically reviewed.

How we write

• Plainly. Short sentences, everyday words, and technical terms explained when they are needed.
• Without alarm. We do not use fear to hold attention, and we do not describe ordinary variation as a problem to be fixed.
• Without blame. Health is shaped by circumstances as well as choices. We avoid language that shames people for their weight, their habits or their health.
• With numbers in context. When we give a figure we say where it comes from and who it applies to.
• With an eye on who is reading. Guidance differs between countries. Where it does, we say which country a recommendation comes from.

What we will not publish

• Claims that a food, supplement, product or routine cures, prevents or treats a disease.
• Advice to stop, start or change a medicine.
• Content that contradicts the scientific consensus on vaccines or other established public-health measures.
• Detoxes, cleanses, extreme diets and rapid weight-loss plans.
• Before-and-after stories and testimonials presented as evidence.
• Diagnosis of individual readers, in articles or in replies to messages.

Independence and advertising

Diurna is funded, or is intended to be funded, by display advertising. Advertising is supplied by an advertising network, is labelled, and is kept apart from our articles.

• Advertisers do not see, shape or approve what we write.
• We do not publish sponsored articles or paid links.
• We do not use affiliate links or earn commission on anything we mention.
• We do not accept gifts or payment in exchange for coverage.

If any of this ever changes, we will say so here and mark the affected content clearly.

Corrections and feedback

We correct mistakes openly and quickly. Our corrections policy explains how to report one and what we do about it.

Use the contact page.