Policy

Editorial Standards & Policies

How we source, write, fact-check, date, and correct editorial content. These rules apply to every guide, blog post, comparison article, and report on the site.

Last updated: May 1, 2026

Editorial mission

SupplierDiversity.com exists to make supplier diversity legible. Our editorial team writes for the diverse business owner who knows their business cold but is encountering the certification and contracting world for the first time, and for the corporate procurement professional who needs reliable data to brief their CEO.

We optimize for two things: accuracy (the rules, fees, and timelines we publish are what you'll actually find when you apply) and actionability (every guide ends in a clear next step). We do not optimize for engagement metrics in ways that compromise either.

Sourcing standards

Every fact in an editorial piece comes from one of three categories of source:

  1. Primary documents. The certifying body's own program documentation (NMSDC's MBE certification standards, WBENC's eligibility criteria, the SBA's 8(a) program rules at 13 CFR Part 124, the DBE program at 49 CFR Part 26, etc.).
  2. Government data systems. USASpending.gov for federal contract awards, SAM.gov for federal supplier registration, the Census Bureau's NAICS catalog, the SBA's size-standards table, and state procurement-office data feeds.
  3. Named human experts. Quoted procurement directors, certification consultants, and certified diverse business owners, always with name, title, and organization. No anonymous "industry sources."

If a fact can't be sourced to one of the above, we either find a source that meets the bar or we don't publish the claim.

Where we link, we link to the primary source, not to a third-party blog summarizing it. That means our articles often have ten or more outbound links to government and certifying-body URLs.

Authorship & bylines

Every editorial article is bylined to a real, named human author with a public profile, expertise areas, and contact methods. There are no ghostwritten articles attributed to fictional staff. Meet our editorial team.

Multi-author pieces credit all contributors. When a primary author leaves, their byline stays on past articles unless they request removal.

Editorial reviewers (staff who fact-check before publication) are noted on each article when their review materially shaped the piece.

AI policy

We use generative AI tools (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini) the same way we use spell-checkers, grammar checkers, and search engines: as productivity tools for human writers and editors. Every published article is read, edited, and signed off by a named human before going live.

What we will not do:

  • Publish AI-generated text without human review.
  • Fabricate quotes, statistics, examples, or "industry sources" of any kind.
  • Auto-generate articles at scale to chase keywords. Every page that lives on this site exists because we believe a real reader is looking for it.
  • Pretend AI assistance wasn't used when it was. We treat AI tools the way magazines treat copy editors, invisible to the reader, but the bylined author owns the final product.

The certification rules, costs, and timelines we publish are independently verified against primary sources regardless of which tools were used to draft them.

Dating & updates

Every editorial article carries a "published" date and a "last updated" date. When we materially update a guide, for example, when NMSDC raises certification fees, the SBA changes a size standard, or a state DBE program updates its application portal, the article body is updated and the "last updated" date moves.

Cosmetic edits (typo fixes, layout tweaks) don't trigger an updated-date change.

For programs where rules change frequently, we add inline "as of [date]" markers near the changing fact. Where rules are stable for years (federal regulations like 13 CFR Part 124), we don't.

Corrections

If we publish an error, here's what happens:

  1. We fix the article.
  2. We add a corrections note at the bottom of the article describing what was wrong and what changed.
  3. If the error materially misled readers (wrong fee, wrong eligibility threshold, wrong agency name), we credit the person who spotted it.

We do not silently overwrite history. If you see a mistake, email editorial@supplierdiversity.com.

Editorial independence

SupplierDiversity.com is independent of NMSDC, WBENC, NGLCC, Disability:IN, NaVOBA, the U.S. Small Business Administration, the U.S. Department of Transportation, every state procurement office, and every corporation covered in our directory. None of those organizations exercise editorial control over the site. We do not accept payment to recommend one certification over another.

Editorial coverage is independent of advertising. The editorial team does not see who is or isn't a paid partner before writing about a program or product. Where ratings or rankings exist (e.g., the Inclusion Index of corporate supplier diversity programs), the methodology is published and applied uniformly.

Disclosures

Our own products. SupplierDiversity.com sells premium subscriptions for buyers and suppliers, and offers CertifyAll, a paid certification submission service. When editorial content mentions these products, the mention is labeled as an internal product or marked as an advertisement, depending on context.

Affiliate relationships. Some of our financing partner directories (lenders with diversity programs) include affiliate links that earn us a commission when a reader applies for a product. Where an affiliate link exists, it's marked at the point of click and does not influence inclusion in editorial coverage. Lenders are not paid for inclusion in the directory; the affiliate relationships exist independently of editorial decisions about which lenders to feature.

Sponsored content. If a piece is sponsored, it is clearly labeled "Sponsored" or "In partnership with [name]" at the top and bottom of the article, in the URL slug if relevant, and in the article's metadata. Sponsored content is written or reviewed by editorial staff against the same factual standards as unsponsored content; the sponsor cannot dictate conclusions, but they can decline to publish if they object to ours.

Personal investments. Editorial staff disclose personal investments in companies covered in editorial content. As of May 2026, no editorial staff hold personal stakes in covered certifying bodies, lenders, or corporate suppliers.

Advertising

Programmatic display advertising on this site is served via Google AdSense. We don't choose specific advertisers; Google's network does. Advertisers cannot purchase editorial placement, link insertions, or favorable coverage. If you see an ad that looks misleading or inappropriate, email editorial@supplierdiversity.com.

Native sponsored content (when offered) is labeled per the rules above and follows the same factual standards as unsponsored editorial.

Community contributions

Outcome data from the public outcomes survey (where diverse business owners self-report what certifications they pursued and what contracts they won) is treated as community-reported data, not editorial. We aggregate it, anonymize where requested, and present methodology alongside the numbers.

Reader-submitted corrections, tips, and case studies are reviewed editorially and credited where used. Submitting a tip does not entitle you to publication.

Reach editorial

For corrections, tips, story pitches, or comments on these standards: editorial@supplierdiversity.com.

For press inquiries, see the press kit. For data methodology questions, see methodology. For everything else, see contact.