Corrections Policy
PetCresta aims to publish accurate, useful information, but published content can occasionally contain an error or become inaccurate as evidence, standards, products, or professional guidance change.
When a credible error is identified, our responsibility is to investigate it and make an appropriate correction.
This policy explains what can be reported, how corrections are assessed, and how we distinguish corrections from ordinary editorial updates.
What Counts as a Correction?
A correction addresses information that is materially inaccurate, misleading, incorrectly attributed, or no longer supportable.
Examples may include:
- an incorrect factual statement
- inaccurate health or safety information
- a wrong measurement, number, date, or statistic
- incorrectly stated pet toxicity information
- an incorrect technical specification
- a misquotation
- incorrect professional attribution
- a source that does not support the claim attributed to it
- wording that materially misrepresents the available evidence
- information presented as universally applicable when important limitations were omitted
Not every edit is a correction.
Spelling fixes, formatting improvements, clearer wording, internal-link changes, and other edits that do not change the factual meaning are generally routine editorial maintenance.
How to Report an Error
Readers, professionals, contributors, organizations, and other interested parties can report possible errors through our Contact page.
A useful correction request should include, when possible:
- the article URL
- the specific statement or section in question
- an explanation of the suspected error
- a reliable supporting source
- any relevant professional or technical context
Providing supporting evidence can help us assess the issue more efficiently.
How We Review Correction Requests
A reported error is not automatically accepted or rejected.
Depending on the issue, our editorial process may include:
- locating the statement being challenged
- reviewing the sources originally used
- checking primary or more authoritative sources
- looking for newer evidence or guidance
- consulting a contributor with relevant subject knowledge
- assessing whether the issue changes the meaning or usefulness of the article
- deciding whether a correction, clarification, update, or no change is appropriate
The level of review depends on the significance of the claim.
A possible error involving pet toxicity or home safety warrants different treatment from a minor descriptive detail.
Minor Corrections
Minor errors may be corrected directly.
Examples include:
- spelling mistakes
- grammatical errors
- broken links
- formatting problems
- minor wording issues
- obvious typographical errors
- non-material metadata errors
These changes generally do not require a public correction notice because they do not alter the article’s substantive meaning.
Material Corrections
A correction is more substantial when the original information could have materially affected a reader’s understanding, safety, or decision.
Examples may include:
- incorrectly identifying a substance as safe or unsafe for a pet
- materially misstating a health claim
- publishing an incorrect measurement that affects a home project
- incorrectly describing a safety procedure
- misrepresenting research findings
- attributing professional review to someone who did not perform it
When appropriate, PetCresta may update the article’s modification date and add a correction or editor’s note explaining the material change.
The level of disclosure should be proportionate to the significance of the original error.
Corrections to Health and Safety Information
Errors involving health or safety receive priority.
This can include veterinary health, poisoning, food safety, electrical work, roofing safety, structural issues, hazardous materials, tool safety, or other information where inaccurate guidance could create meaningful risk.
Where appropriate, the correction may involve additional review by someone with relevant subject knowledge.
Corrections to Author or Expert Information
PetCresta also accepts correction requests concerning contributor information.
This may include:
- names
- qualifications
- professional roles
- employment information
- experience
- authorship attribution
- review attribution
We aim to represent contributors accurately and distinguish between writing, contributing, editing, and reviewing.
Visit our Authors and Editorial Team pages for more information about our contributors.
What Happens When We Disagree With a Correction Request?
Receiving a correction request does not mean PetCresta must change the article.
If the available evidence supports the published information, we may leave it unchanged.
Where credible sources genuinely disagree, we may revise the article to better explain the uncertainty rather than declaring one position definitively correct.
Editorial decisions are based on the quality and relevance of the evidence.
Corrections vs. Updates
A correction and an update serve different purposes.
A correction addresses something inaccurate or misleading.
An update revises content because circumstances have changed, newer information is available, or the article can be made more useful.
For example, replacing an incorrect statistic is a correction. Replacing an old but previously accurate statistic with newer data is generally an update.
Read our Content Update Policy for more information.
Corrections vs. Differences of Opinion
Not every disagreement indicates a factual error.
Some topics involve professional judgment, individual experience, competing methodologies, or legitimate differences among qualified professionals.
Where an article expresses judgment rather than an established fact, it should be presented as such.
A correction may still be appropriate if an opinion was incorrectly presented as settled fact.
Changes to Third-Party Sources
Occasionally, an external source may change, move, or disappear after an article is published.
When this happens, we may:
- update the link
- replace the source with a stronger current source
- archive or remove an unsupported claim
- revise the affected passage
Our Fact-Checking Policy explains how sources are evaluated.
Transparency
Our aim is not to pretend that published articles never change.
Responsible publishing includes acknowledging meaningful mistakes, correcting them, and improving content as stronger information becomes available.
For our broader publishing standards, read the Editorial Policy.
If you believe you have found an error, please use our Contact page to report it.