Editorial Policy

1. Editorial Mission

The mission of secretary-of-states.org/'s editorial work is straightforward. A US person with a Secretary of State question — about a business search, a filing, an annual report, a UCC, a notary, an apostille, an election registration — should be able to find a correct, useful answer in under sixty seconds, with the relevant rule explained in plain English, the right official .gov source linked, and a step-by-step explanation of what to do next.

Every editorial decision on the Site is measured against that standard. If a section of a guide does not help a reader actually answer their question or take an action — if it is filler, vague advice, or aggregated content with no verification behind it — it does not belong on the Site, and we remove it.

2. Content Standards

Every guide on secretary-of-states.org/ must meet a defined set of content standards before it is published. These are the same standards a fact-checker at a reputable consumer publication would apply.

• The reader’s actual question is answered in the first three paragraphs, not buried below filler.
• Every fact stated about a state office, fee, deadline, or process is traceable to a primary source.
• Statutory points cite the relevant state code, the US Code, or the federal regulation.
• State-specific facts cite the state’s own current .gov page, not a third-party aggregator.
• Where rules differ across states, the differences are stated explicitly rather than glossed.
• Step-by-step guides describe the actions a real person performs in order, including the specific form, office, fee, and contact route.
• External links go to primary sources — state SOS .gov sites, NASS, IRS, USPTO, SEC EDGAR, SAM.gov, FTC, or recognized academic and legal databases.
• No guide ever links to a Google search results page as a “fallback” for a missing official source.
• Schema markup is applied where appropriate (Article, FAQ, HowTo) for search engines.
• Body type is set at a minimum of 17px for readability on phones and tablets.
• Mobile layout is tested before any guide goes live.
• Currency is shown in US dollars using current published figures, with the date of the figure stated where appropriate.
• Sensitive topics (entity selection, tax planning, voting eligibility) are written carefully and signpost to qualified professionals or official agency resources.

3. Source Hierarchy

We do not treat all sources equally. When two sources disagree, the higher-priority source wins, and we note the conflict where useful for the reader. For the full taxonomy of how we evaluate sources, see Sources & Methodology.

Sources we deliberately do not rely on as primary references include unverified user-generated databases, scraped business directories, expired blog posts, marketing pages from formation companies or registered-agent services, and any source whose information cannot be independently re-verified at the moment of writing.

4. Verification Process

Verification is the most important step in our workflow. Every guide passes through this sequence before publication.

5. Writing and Style

Style on secretary-of-states.org/ is chosen to make information easy to act on, not to sound impressive. The voice is plain, helpful, and assumes the reader is intelligent but in a hurry.

5.1 Voice and Tone

• Conversational but precise — written the way a knowledgeable friend would explain it
• No jargon without an immediate plain-English explanation
• Active voice wherever possible
• Short paragraphs and frequent subheadings for scannability
• US English spellings throughout
• Currency in US dollars with the date of the figure where it matters
• No marketing-style superlatives (“the best,” “amazing,” “ultimate”) in editorial content
• Particular care with entity selection, tax, and election content — never alarmist, always signposting to qualified professionals or official agencies

5.2 Structure

Most guides follow a consistent structure so readers can predict where to find each kind of information:

• Quick-action box at the top — the rule, who it applies to, the action, and the official link
• Concise summary of what the topic is and who it applies to
• Step-by-step process for the reader to follow
• Eligibility, evidence, and exceptions, presented as scannable lists or tables
• State-by-state differences where applicable
• Common mistakes and what to do if your filing is rejected
• Where to get help if the situation requires a professional
• Frequently asked questions, answered in plain English
• Related guides on this site

5.3 What We Avoid

• Filler paragraphs that pad word count without adding information
• Vague advice (“contact the state” with no link or number)
• Speculative claims about thresholds, fees, or rules that we have not verified
• Linking to broken pages, expired blog posts, or Google search result pages
• Overuse of clickbait headings that promise more than the guide delivers
• Sponsored mentions disguised as editorial recommendations
• Suggesting any regulated decision (entity selection, tax election, securities offering) without signposting to an appropriate licensed professional

6. Update Frequency

Secretary of State rules and federal procedures change frequently. Our review cycle is built around how quickly each kind of information typically changes.

7. Corrections Policy

We make mistakes. When we do, we want to fix them quickly and visibly.

7.1 How to Submit a Correction

Email info@secretary-of-states.org with the subject line “Correction” and include:

• The URL of the page containing the error
• The specific item that is incorrect
• What the correct information is, and ideally a link to the official source
• Optional: your relationship to the topic, if relevant

7.2 What Happens Next

• Acknowledgement of receipt within two working days
• Independent verification against the official source within five working days
• If the correction is verified, the guide is updated and a “Last Updated” timestamp is refreshed
• For material errors that may have caused reader inconvenience, a brief correction note is added to the guide footer
• If the correction cannot be verified, the submitter is notified with the source we checked

7.3 Severity Tiers

• Critical — a wrong fee, an out-of-date statute, or an incorrect deadline that could cause a reader real loss. Target turnaround: 24 hours.
• Material — a state process detail is outdated, a fee figure is stale, a contact route has changed. Target turnaround: 48 working hours.
• Minor — a typo, a styling issue, an outdated tip. Target turnaround: next scheduled review.

8. Editorial Independence

The integrity of the Site depends on a clear separation between editorial guidance and any commercial relationship. We hold this rule strictly.

• No paid placements. No state office, registered agent service, formation company, accountant, attorney, or commercial body can pay to be referenced in our guides, to appear higher in any list, or to receive a more favorable description.
• No advertiser-driven editorial. Display advertisers do not influence which agencies are highlighted, which professionals are signposted, or how rules are summarized.
• No vendor pressure. If a vendor or firm threatens removal of cooperation in exchange for a more flattering write-up, the answer is no, and we say so.
• Clear sponsored labelling. If sponsored content ever appears, it is clearly labeled as “Sponsored” or “Advertisement.”
• Affiliate relationships disclosed. Where the Site uses affiliate links to genuinely useful products, the relationship is disclosed.

9. Advertising Disclosure

secretary-of-states.org/ displays third-party advertisements served primarily through Google AdSense. Advertising revenue funds the verification work behind every guide and allows the Site to remain free for readers.

• Ads are clearly distinguishable from editorial content through layout and labeling
• Ad placements do not interrupt the action steps in a how-to guide
• We filter against ad categories that conflict with the informational nature of the Site
• We do not accept native advertising that mimics editorial content without clear sponsorship labeling
• We do not allow advertisers to dictate editorial content in any form

For more on advertising practices and how user data is handled in connection with ads, see our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

10. Use of AI Tools

We use modern editorial tools, including AI-assisted research and drafting tools, to help organize large volumes of public information efficiently. Our position on AI is honest and bounded.

• AI tools assist research and structure. They do not replace human verification of facts.
• No fact appears on the Site purely because an AI tool generated it. Every state process detail, statutory reference, fee, and contact is human-verified against a primary source.
• AI is never used to fabricate sources. Citations link to real, accessible primary sources.
• Human editorial judgment is the final authority. Anything that conflicts with a verified source is removed regardless of how confidently a tool produced it.

11. Authors and Reviewers

The Site is produced by a small editorial team. Where appropriate, individual guides are bylined to a specific writer, and significant updates are noted in the guide footer.

11.1 Who Writes

Writers contributing to secretary-of-states.org/ are selected for their ability to read primary-source documents (state codes, agency guidance, NASS publications, federal regulations) and translate them into plain-English guidance. We prefer contributors with background in legal research, paralegal work, public-sector communications, or technical writing.

11.2 Who Reviews

Editorial review is performed by team members with experience in fact-checking and content quality assurance. Reviewers specifically look for unsupported claims, missing sources, broken links, state-by-state confusion, and tonal drift away from the Site’s plain-language standard.

11.3 External Contributors

Where a guide benefits from specialized expertise, we may consult or quote subject-matter experts. Contributions are clearly attributed and any potential conflict of interest is disclosed. We do not accept contributions from commercial firms whose business depends on the topic being covered.

12. Takedown and Removal Requests

If you are an officer of a state agency, an employee of a federal agency, or another party who believes information about your authority on the Site is inaccurate, defamatory, or should be removed, you can contact us directly.

We will respond to legitimate requests by:

• Reviewing the guide in question against current official sources
• Correcting verified inaccuracies promptly
• Removing content that is shown to be defamatory or unlawful
• Adding clarifying notes where appropriate

For copyright takedown requests, please see our DMCA Policy. We do not remove accurate, sourced information simply because the subject prefers it not be public, particularly where the underlying source is a public state or federal record.

13. Reader Feedback

Reader feedback is the single most valuable signal we receive. State Secretary of State offices update fees, migrate portals, and revise forms on schedules that are not always published. When a reader writes in to flag a change, that feedback drives a real-time update.

We particularly welcome feedback on:

• State filing fees that have changed since our last update
• Online portals or forms that have moved
• Helpline numbers or office addresses that have changed
• Statutory amendments or court decisions that affect how a rule should be interpreted
• States or topics we have under-covered
• Practical tips that would help future readers