Methodology

Amino Wire's methodology is the set of rules for what we publish and how we check it. In short: every fact comes from a dated, linkable record; vendor status pages record only verifiable events and our own logged checks; and the Amino Wire Editorial Team reviews every page against its sources before it goes live and again whenever it changes.

What counts as a source?

We rank sources by how close they are to the event, not by how widely they're shared.

1. Primary records: FDA warning letters and announcements, Federal Register notices, DOJ press releases, court filings and dockets, state board actions, and a company's own published notice.
2. Named reputable press that cites or quotes those records, used when a primary record can't be opened. We say which outlet reported it.
3. Laboratory and standards documents (USP general chapters, lab method pages) for testing explainers.

Forum posts, social media and other review sites are not sources of fact for us. If a claim only exists there, it's labeled unconfirmed or left out.

How do vendor status checks work?

A vendor status log is a dated list of verifiable facts about a business: FDA warning letters, court actions, public shutdown notices and our own availability checks. Each entry has a date and a source link.

• Availability checks are automated HTTP requests to the public homepage. We log the time in UTC, the HTTP status, the final URL after redirects, and a plain note on what loaded.
• A bot challenge, block or timeout is recorded as "not evidence either way". It doesn't mean a site is down.
• We never place orders, create accounts, or contact businesses through their storefronts.
• Logs are alphabetical, and record-type labels (for example "FDA warning letter") describe the kind of record, not a verdict.

How are lab profiles compiled?

Lab profiles describe what a testing lab says about itself: the methods it lists, where it says it's based, and how a reader can verify one of its reports on the lab's own site. Each profile shows the date the facts were checked. We don't test samples, rate labs or take payment from them.

How does editorial review work?

Every page is written and reviewed by the Amino Wire Editorial Team. Review is a separate pass, run as a checklist:

1. Each factual sentence is matched to a source in the page's source list; primary records are opened where reachable.
2. Dates, docket and letter numbers, vote counts and quoted figures are checked character by character.
3. Where credible sources conflict, both versions are shown and attributed, or the figure is removed.
4. The page is checked against the no-ranking rule, the ownership notice, and our limits on health and legal content (no dosing, no protocols, no legal advice).
5. Links are checked, and the "Last reviewed" date in the byline is set to the day the check was completed.

The team is an editorial desk. It is not a licensed physician, pharmacist, analytical chemist or attorney, and review here is fact-checking, not clinical or legal sign-off. We don't name individual reviewers or display credentials we can't substantiate.

How often are pages updated?

News stories are updated when the underlying record changes (for example, a court ruling or an FDA close-out letter), and each change is added to the story's update log. Explainers are re-reviewed when the law or guidance they describe changes. Status logs show the date of the latest check on every page.

Do you use software or AI?

Yes. We use software, including AI tools, to help draft, check links, format pages and run status checks. An editorial check against the sources happens before anything is published, and the editorial team is responsible for every page.

What happens when we get something wrong?

We correct it, date the correction, and note it on the page. Named companies can respond. See corrections and right of reply.