Editorial policy

Vaccines.ie keeps archived articles exactly as they were published. We do not rewrite history or update old posts to fit new trends. If a piece ran in 2019, it stays in 2019 form, stripped only of navigation clutter and advertisements. That continuity lets readers see how guidance and public conversation have evolved.

New guides expand the same immunization and public-health topics without inventing news events. We write evergreen explainers when a question comes up often in search or when policy shifts create confusion. We never fabricate studies, quote imaginary experts, or claim breaking developments that did not happen.

Clarity and usefulness come first. We choose concrete nouns over jargon, short sentences over long ones, and practical takeaways over abstract theory. If a paragraph does not help a parent, a traveler, or a clinic worker make a decision, we cut it.

We do not chase clicks with exaggerated headlines or invented urgency. Titles name the vaccine, the age group, or the specific question. Meta descriptions put the benefit in the first five words. No teasers, no countdowns, no "you won't believe" phrasing.

Topical consistency means one term per entity. If we write "MMR" in one guide, we do not switch to "measles-mumps-rubella vaccine" three paragraphs later unless we are defining it for the first time. Readers should never have to guess whether two phrases mean the same thing.

Sources appear by name when we cite a number, a recommendation, or a policy change. If we lack a specific fact, we write the plain claim without fake authority. We do not say "experts agree" or "studies show" unless we can point to the expert or the study.

Corrections are handled on a separate page and noted in the article when the fix is substantial. Small typos are patched quietly. Large errors get a dated note at the top or bottom of the piece.

This policy applies to every page we publish going forward. Archived material remains under the editorial standards that were in place when it first ran, preserved for the record.