Editorial standards
Every article in the Journal is thoroughly researched from the original studies. Here is how we choose sources, check claims and correct mistakes.
Research first
Each article starts with the research, not with a conclusion. We read the original papers rather than press coverage of them, and we look for studies that point the other way as well as those that agree.
Sources
Peer-reviewed studies come first, and we prefer systematic reviews and meta-analyses to single studies where they exist. When we cite a book, a report or a preprint, its reference says it isn't peer reviewed.
Every source gets a full reference at the end of the article, with a DOI link where one exists. All of them are listed together on the sources page, with the articles that cite each one.
Checking
Every claim of fact links to the study it comes from. Before an article is published, each citation is checked against the paper it points to, every DOI is confirmed to resolve, and every link to another article is confirmed to work. An article can't be published while any claim is still waiting for a source.
Limits
Most research on reading is correlational: readers who read more differ in other ways too. We say so, and every article is clear about what the evidence does not show.
Figures and numbers
Figures show their source. When a chart is a sketch of a finding rather than the authors' own data, the caption says so. Calculators are labelled as arithmetic, not predictions.
Corrections
When we get something wrong, we fix it and add a dated note to the article saying what changed. A substantial update changes the “Updated” date at the top of the article.
Spotted an error, or a study we missed? Tell us.
Independence
BookWit makes a reading app, and the Journal writes about the research behind it. We say so where it matters. There are no ads and no sponsored articles.
Students
We never publish an individual student's reading data. Photos in which a student can be recognised appear only with written permission from a parent.