Follow this fact checking guidance to help ensure users receive accurate information from GOV.WALES.
Contents
Overview
Content designers are responsible for making sure the content is fit for users, and for publishing on GOV.WALES. Subject matter experts are responsible for the facts.
Role of the subject matter expert
Subject matter experts should only comment on factual inaccuracies in the content. They do not change style or tone.
They should explain what’s wrong and why. For example ‘the fee is £150, not £130’, rather than re-write the content. They should also say where the error is. For example ‘under the ‘how much it costs’ heading.’
Role of the content designer
Early in the process the content designer explains fact checking to the subject matter expert. This guide may be sufficient or they may need to explain in person.
Subject matter experts may want to change text to match a style that they’re used to (like academic or policy writing). Sometimes they’ll reintroduce jargon. It’s the content designer’s job to explain to them why the jargon has been removed or explained in simpler language.
At what point does fact checking happen
Fact checking happens once the content designer has a product as close to complete as possible. This is usually after 2i (peer review). This makes sure the fact checker sees the product in a version that’s as close to complete as possible.