Size It Up Editorial Policy: clear measurements and visible sources

Size It Up Editorial Policy on research and original writing

Object guides are written for Size It Up Games from the underlying measurement record. We do not copy competitor descriptions or publish a numerical claim only because multiple low-quality pages repeat it.

A page must add useful context: what the measurement includes, why the scale is easy to misjudge and how the object compares with something familiar.

AI-assisted work and human review

Automated tools may assist with research organisation, drafting, code and consistency checks, but they are not treated as a source.

Published numerical values are reviewed against the reference linked on the object guide. We do not invent first-hand testing, expert credentials or source support that is not visible.

Size It Up Editorial Policy on review dates and updates

A review date means the measurement, dimension and linked reference were checked on that date. We update a page when a stronger source, corrected value or clearer measurement definition materially changes the answer.

We do not change dates merely to make an unchanged page appear fresh.

Size It Up Editorial Policy on corrections

If you find a measurement, conversion or source problem, email hello@sizeitupgames.org with the page URL, the value in question and a public supporting source. Clear corrections are reviewed and reflected in both the guide and playable data.

When does an object deserve its own guide?

An object can be playable before it has a search page. A guide earns publication when we can answer the measurement question clearly, identify the source, explain the scope and add comparisons that help a reader picture the value. A page containing only a number, a generic paragraph and a button to start the game would not provide enough independent value. We therefore publish reviewed guides selectively rather than creating hundreds of near-identical pages for every possible search phrase.

The Size It Up Editorial Policy also requires each page to fit a distinct user intent. Someone searching for Size It Up Unlimited wants an immediately playable mode without a daily cap, not another thin article about the same homepage. Someone searching for the height of Cloud Gate wants a direct height answer, clarity that The Bean is wider than it is tall and a source for the value. The page structure follows those needs. We do not create separate free, online and game pages just to repeat the same content with different headings.

How do we separate facts from interpretation?

A source may establish that a structure is 634 metres tall. Our explanation of why its tapered shape looks shorter in photographs is an interpretation meant to help a player, not another measurement from the source. A comparison to six football pitches is calculated from stated lengths, not an official claim made by the tower operator. We try to make that distinction obvious: the direct answer and source link support the value, while explanatory paragraphs show how to think about it.

This matters especially with living animals, where one exact number cannot describe every individual, and with extinct animals, where dimensions are reconstructed from incomplete material. We use words such as representative, large, maximum and estimated when they change the meaning of the result. A guide should not inflate certainty by adding unnecessary decimal places or by silently converting a range into a universal species fact. The playable target is specific; the real world is often variable.

What checks happen before a measurement goes live?

We check the subject name and model or species, read the claimed dimension, compare the stored metric value with the reference, and verify that converted display labels are sensible. We also inspect whether the silhouette can represent the chosen axis without teaching the wrong idea. A bird's wingspan, for example, needs a very different visual interpretation from its standing height. Where the source is ambiguous, the guide should explain the limitation or the object should wait rather than appear with a confidently worded but unsupported answer.

The Size It Up Editorial Policy also covers comparisons and links. A ratio must use the same numerical units and identify both axes when they differ. Internal links should lead to a genuinely related guide or playable mode rather than a doorway page. Metadata, structured data and the visible text must agree about the page's main subject. Automated checks can catch invalid values and missing records, but they cannot decide whether a comparison is genuinely helpful or whether source wording has been overstated. Editorial review remains necessary.

What changes after publication?

A published guide is not frozen. An official specification may be corrected, a scientific estimate may improve or a reader may identify an omitted base, tail or antenna. A substantive change can require updating the playable value, the direct answer, comparisons and source note together. We record an honest review date when that recheck occurs. Merely adding words to a page for search visibility does not turn an unchanged measurement into a newly verified fact.

The site is designed to be useful first as a game and second as a small reference library. Long-form content belongs below the playable board so it does not delay the first round. At the same time, a user who wants to understand a surprising result should be able to follow a source, see the precise dimension and report a problem. If a future feature adds public rankings or user accounts, we will distinguish verified player data from today's preset challenge milestones rather than relabeling the latter as a live leaderboard.