Mesothelioma + Asbestos Awareness Center Editorial Guidelines

The Mesothelioma + Asbestos Awareness Center strives to bring the most up-to-date information on mesothelioma and its known cause, asbestos, to our readers. We have created these editorial guidelines to ensure all content on the site is current, reported accurately based on scientific and medical research and written in a way that’s easy to understand.

Providing Relevant Mesothelioma and Asbestos Information

The MAA Center website focuses on providing the most reliable, trustworthy information on mesothelioma and asbestos for patients and their loved ones, mesothelioma survivors, caregivers, the broader cancer community and more. To best serve our audience, we curate content within the following relevant categories:

• Mesothelioma: Detailed information around mesothelioma including types, cell types, symptoms, how it’s diagnosed, stages of the disease, life expectancy and more.
• Treatment: Thorough overviews of conventional treatments available, including types of chemotherapy and surgery, and the latest emerging treatments and clinical trials. Readers can also get help locating a mesothelioma doctor or cancer center with a browsable directory.
• Asbestos: Understanding of past and present uses of asbestos, where the mineral can be found, examples of asbestos products and regulations to help prevent exposure.
• Community: Providing information to support patients and their loved ones, mesothelioma survivors, caregivers, veterans and advocates, including finding support groups, financial resources and ways to get involved in the community.
• Legal Support: Information around the types of legal claims available and how to file, as well as tips for choosing a mesothelioma lawyer.
• Blog: A focus on the latest news and research around mesothelioma and asbestos, survivor stories and other related topics.

The MAA Center does not publish content that falls outside of these areas.

How We Research, Write and Review Our Content

All of the content on the MAA Center website undergoes a rigorous fact-checking and editing process to ensure all the information provided is up to date, accurate and trustworthy. Our writing team of writers, editors and reviewers are committed to providing our readers with well-researched, reliable content that’s easy to understand. The MAA Center applies the Code of Ethics of the Society of Professional Journalists as the standard for creating credible content.

Every piece of content published on our site, whether a blog post or an informational page, first goes through a thorough process to ensure it meets our standards before posting.

• Gathering recent data and information for the article or page through extensive research and review of medical journals, news articles and other relevant sources
• An experienced writer on the team creates an initial outline and draft based on the research
• Other members of the editorial team fact check and review the piece for accuracy, reliable sourcing, grammar and readability
• The Managing Editor will provide a final review of the content for final edits and accuracy, ensuring tone and standards are consistent throughout the site

When drafting an approved blog or page for our site, our team also reviews the design and readability of the content for a variety of screens, including desktops, tablets and smartphones.

Trustworthy Sources

All content on our site begins with recent data and research from reliable, trustworthy sources. Readers can expect to find the latest information from the following:

• Peer-Reviewed Medical Journals: Our team continuously reviews medical literature to relay the latest findings on mesothelioma diagnostic tests, emerging treatments and other related information on mesothelioma or the health effects of asbestos.
• Reputable Media Sources: We monitor reliable news, magazine and online sources to stay on top of the latest, breaking information on mesothelioma and asbestos.
• Nonprofits: We regularly review statistics and related information from nonprofit organizations such as the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD), the American Cancer Society, the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation and the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization.
• Federal Agencies: We monitor and frequently source the latest information from government agencies including the National Cancer Institute, the Centers for Disease Control and Protection, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, among others.

All sources used in writing our informational pages are linked at the bottom of the page and cited in the American Medical Association Manual of Style. Additionally, some sources may be linked in the text of the page or as supplemental resources on the page. Sources for blog posts are linked within the text of the post. We regularly review sources to ensure the links still work and make sure we are referencing the most recent, relevant information.

Collaborative Content from the Mesothelioma Community

The majority of the content on the MAA Center site has been written by a member of our editorial team. On occasion, we collaborate with patients and family members, advocates, medical professionals or others on interviews and stories to include another point of view from the community. In some cases, the content may be written by an editorial member based on an interview, while some articles may be written directly by the collaborator. In either case, collaborative content must go through the same rigorous process and be held to the same editorial standards before publishing. We do not accept unsolicited content for publication.

Updating, Correcting or Removing Content

As our team is dedicated to creating the most reliable, accurate content available, we regularly review content on the site to make sure it is still meeting our standards. In instances where we identify content that is outdated or providing inaccurate information, our editorial board will decide whether to update, correct or remove the content.

• Update: As new information emerges or we notice details that need correcting, we will update the page as soon as possible with the changes required.
• Rewrite: Occasionally, we may realize the need to completely rewrite a page as it needs more than just new information. In these instances, our team will research and write the page from scratch, going through the full editorial process before publishing.
• Remove: If we discover content that is no longer relevant or no longer meets our standards, we may remove the page or article from our site.

Readers can find the date of the last update at the bottom of each page. In general, blog posts are typically not updated as they are published in a timely manner.

Though we constantly review our content, occasionally a mistake or inaccuracy may occur. If you notice any errors in what has been published, please reach out to our editorial team at admin@maacenter.org.

Editorial Independence

The MAA Center is independently owned and operated and does not accept money from advertising nor allow advertisers to influence any content published. Though the MAA Center is sponsored by Early, Lucarelli, Sweeney, & Meisenkothen, LLC, the law firm does not control the content we publish. On occasion, we may ask the law firm to provide their expertise as a further check of the accuracy of select content on the site.