Sources & Updates

Source hierarchy

We prefer sources closest to the underlying event or record. For drug-recall coverage, that usually means the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, including enforcement reports, safety communications, product notices, and openFDA datasets. We may also use manufacturer notices, official court or government records, peer-reviewed research, and other first-party documentation.

Secondary reporting can help identify context or questions worth investigating, but we do not use it as a substitute when a suitable primary record is available. If sources conflict, we describe the discrepancy, favor the most direct and current evidence, and avoid presenting an unresolved point as settled fact.

How sources appear

Articles should link sources close to the claims they support or list them in a dedicated sources section. Source labels should make the publisher and document type clear. When timing matters, we include the publication, effective, or access date available to us.

Links may lead to third-party sites. We cannot control whether those pages later move, change, or become unavailable, but we periodically check important links and replace them with an authoritative equivalent or archive when appropriate.

Update standard

We update an article when new information materially changes its accuracy, usefulness, or context. Examples include:

• a regulator changing a recall classification or posting a termination date;
• an official notice adding affected lots, products, or distribution details;
• a material source becoming outdated or being superseded; or
• a reader identifying a supported factual error or important omission.

Minor copy edits, formatting changes, and link maintenance may not receive a separate note. Material changes should update the page’s “last updated” date and, when useful, include a brief note explaining what changed. A correction is handled under our Corrections policy.

Data freshness and limitations

Public datasets can lag behind notices, be revised, or omit context contained in the original document. Search tools can also return near-matches that are not the same product or lot. We therefore encourage readers to open the cited official record and verify identifying details before relying on a result.

If you believe a source is outdated or a link is broken, please contact us with the page URL and the source you recommend.