Psychology/Evidence/How we source and review
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Evidence
How we source and review
A publishing standard, written down so it can be held against us.
The sourcing standard
| Type of statement | What we require before publishing it |
|---|---|
| An observable procedure (how to record, define, or document something) | That it is original PMA Science material, that it has been used in practice, and that it produces a record a second person could audit. |
| A statement about behaviour or emotion in general | That it reflects a broad body of work rather than a single striking study, and that it is stated at the level the evidence supports — usually about conditions, not individuals. |
| A statement that something is over-claimed | That the over-claim is documented and widespread, and that our correction is stated without overshooting in the other direction. |
| Any figure, percentage or threshold | A denominator and a method — or it does not get published. This is why you will find very few numbers on this platform and no scored instruments at all. |
The rights rule
- We do not reproduce, paraphrase, adapt, summarise or host any third-party questionnaire, item bank, coding manual, scoring key, certification syllabus or clinical instrument.
- Where such an instrument is relevant, we name the type of instrument and direct you to obtain it from its rights holder, with their training.
- Rights and provenance information about our own catalogue is held internally as administrative data. It is not decoration for a public page, and you will not see internal rights labels on this site.
- Where we recommend somebody else’s book or resource, we link to it as recommended reading or an authorised destination. We do not sell what we do not have the right to sell.
Review cycle
- Every published page is reviewed at least annually.Earlier if the underlying evidence moves, if a reader identifies an error, or if a resource it references changes.
- Every downloadable resource carries an edition and a reference code.A revised resource gets a new edition, not a silent replacement, so that a printed copy can be matched to what it was when it was printed.
- Corrections are made in public.If we publish something wrong, we change it and we say what changed. We do not quietly delete a page and hope.
Tell us we are wrong
If you find a statement on this platform that the evidence does not support, or a resource that reads as though it classifies people, we want to know. Corrections of this kind are the most useful correspondence we receive.
Educational scope. Everything published on PMA Science Psychology is provided for education, study and professional documentation. Nothing here is a diagnostic instrument, a psychometric test, or a substitute for assessment, treatment, supervision or emergency care by a qualified professional.
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