Editorial standards
How HitEquals builds and checks a calculator.
1. Start with the decision
Each page begins with a real task: estimate a monthly payment, convert a measurement, check a formula, or plan materials. We choose inputs and outputs that answer that task directly. Pages are consolidated when separate URLs would produce the same answer and explanation.
2. Use a traceable formula
The page states the equation and its assumptions in plain English. When a government agency, standards body, university text, or peer-reviewed publication defines the method, the page links to that source. If several accepted methods exist, the calculator identifies the selected method instead of presenting it as the only possible one.
3. Apply US conventions consistently
The primary locale is en-US. Numbers use commas for thousands and periods for decimals. Money defaults to US dollars where a calculator is specifically about the United States. US customary inputs such as inches, feet, pounds, miles, US gallons, and degrees Fahrenheit appear first where Americans commonly use them. Metric and international units remain available when they improve accuracy or comparison.
US customary conversions use published NIST factors. Tax, retirement, health, weather, and consumer pages identify the applicable agency and date because rules and thresholds can change.
4. Test behavior, not just examples
Automated checks cover known answers, both unit systems, invalid values, empty fields, and arithmetic limits. Browser tests cover live recalculation, keyboard use, sharing and export controls, and layouts down to 320 CSS pixels. Large results switch to compact or scientific notation so the page stays usable.
5. Explain limits beside the answer
A calculator can model the inputs it receives; it cannot inspect a contract, diagnose a condition, approve construction, or know a user's full circumstances. Each page names material exclusions and directs users to official documents or qualified professionals when the decision requires them.
6. Review and corrections
Detailed guides show an editorial review statement and update date. A material formula, threshold, unit, or source change requires a new review. Correction reports should include the page URL, inputs, observed result, expected result, and a supporting source. Verified errors are fixed in source, tested, and redeployed.
7. Automation and editorial accountability
HitEquals uses software automation to build and test a large static library. AI-assisted drafting and code generation may be part of that workflow. Automation is useful for applying the same validation, accessibility, citation, and layout checks to every calculator; it is not treated as evidence that a formula or factual statement is correct.
Every published calculator must provide value beyond a title and a result box: its own working engine, labeled input reference, explicit equation, reproducible example, interpretation, material limitations, primary or authoritative references, correction route, and related tools chosen from the same subject area. The build fails when a page lacks these elements or repeats generic editorial paragraphs across a large part of the library.
8. Publisher-content quality gate
The release audit checks all calculator pages for sufficient calculator-specific explanation, distinct sources, complete sentences, unique sections, field-level guidance, valid internal links, and excessive repeated copy. Catalogue size is not a substitute for usefulness. A page that fails the gate must be improved, consolidated, or withheld from the index and advertising inventory.
Each of the 268 calculator guides has an explicit review record. The October 7 review completed the previously abbreviated references with topic-specific method explanations, interpretation, common input mistakes, a worked-example ledger and practical questions. Software-generated example tables show the stated model's arithmetic; they do not independently validate the model or constitute medical, tax, financial or engineering certification.
Source hierarchy
- US government agencies and standards bodies for current US rules and measurement standards.
- Original research, professional standards, and primary institutional guidance.
- University-level references for established mathematics and science.
- Secondary explanations only when a primary source does not address the practical question.
Platform standards
- NIST conversion guidance for US customary and metric relationships.
- W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.2 as the accessibility benchmark.
- Google Search guidance on helpful, reliable, people-first content for discoverable editorial pages.