How we evaluate science content
This page explains the standards Lab Dossier is applying as its library is reviewed and expanded. A classroom activity, an explainer, and a summary of a research paper need different checks; a single label such as “scientific” is not enough to show how strong a claim is.
For an explainer or research summary
- Identify the question and the kind of evidence: experiment, observation, review, official measurement or expert guidance.
- Read the primary paper or authoritative source when available; do not treat a press release or abstract as the full study.
- Describe who or what was studied, the sample or dataset, the method, and the measured outcome.
- Separate association from causation. Report the size and uncertainty of an effect only when the source supplies enough information.
- Include the study’s limitations, funding or disclosed conflicts where reported, and what the result does not establish.
- Put one study in context: do not describe an isolated finding as settled consensus.
For an experiment or simulation
- State what the learner changes, what they measure, and what should stay constant.
- Separate published procedure from the site’s simulated or illustrative data.
- Include age or grade fit, time, materials, hazard information, adult supervision, cleanup and disposal where relevant.
- Check that every control and displayed result matches the actual question in the linked article.
- Explain model limits. A candy gel is not a living cell; foam height is not a direct oxygen-volume measurement.
Sources, expert review and AI assistance
Sources should support the nearby claim, and readers should be able to open them. A named expert reviewer will be shown only when that person has directly reviewed the specific resource. Editorial checking is not peer review, and a peer-reviewed paper is not automatically conclusive.
AI tools may assist drafting or interface development, but they are not evidence, authors, or expert reviewers. Factual claims and safety instructions require source checks. We do not claim that a source or reviewer was consulted unless the page identifies the supporting source or reviewer.
Updates and corrections
When a factual, calculation, attribution or safety problem is confirmed, the affected resource should be corrected and its modification date updated. Material changes belong in the public corrections register. To report a problem, include the page URL, the disputed passage and a source if one is available; the contact page shows whether a monitored inbox is configured.