Editorial standards

Last updated: October 12, 2026

The short version

• Our articles are written with AI assistance, then edited, fact-checked and approved by a human editor. Nothing is published without a person's approval.
• Every statistic links to the page it came from.
• We don't invent people, quotes, testimonials or experts. Real stories come only from readers, with their permission.
• Money never decides what we recommend. Sponsors can't buy a review, a rating or a quiz result.
• Spark Twice, a matchmaking service, is run by Datelyst's parent company, and we say so beside every mention of it.
• Found a mistake? Email [email protected] with "Correction" in the subject line.

Who writes Datelyst

Articles, the Sunday letter and quiz result emails are signed by Rowan Ellis. Rowan Ellis is a pen name used by Datelyst's editor. There isn't a separate person by that name, which is why there's no photo or biography. The editor isn't a therapist, doctor or lawyer, and our articles never suggest otherwise. When a question needs one of those professionals, we say so plainly.

What we write about

We write for adults dating again: after a divorce, after losing a partner, as a single parent, or after years away from dating. We choose topics from the questions readers ask us, what people search for, and the situations our readers tell us about. The answer to the question in the headline comes near the top, and every article gives you something you can use today, such as a script, a checklist or a first step.

Sources and numbers

Every statistic links to its source. When an article gives a number, it links to the page it came from, and the editor opens that page and finds the number there before the article goes live. If we can't confirm a number, we drop it.

We prefer primary sources: government agencies, research centers, peer-reviewed studies, and companies' own announcements about their own products. Each article ends with a list of its sources.

Company surveys are labeled. A survey run by a dating app is useful, but the company has an interest in the answer, so we say whose survey it is ("a survey by the dating app Hinge"). If a survey only asked one age group, we say which.

US first. Datelyst is written for US readers. When we use research from another country, we say where it's from.

People, quotes and examples

We don't invent people, quotes, testimonials, case studies, experts or credentials. When an article gives you a line you could say, it's clearly shown as a sample ("You could say: ..."). When we describe a common situation, we present it as a typical pattern, never as a real person's story.

How we use AI

Our articles are written with AI assistance and edited and approved by a human editor. We use Claude, an AI model made by Anthropic. It helps us:

• research topics and draft first versions;
• check articles for errors, unclear writing and phrasing that sounds machine-made;
• suggest edits, headlines and newsletter subject lines;
• summarize a reader's story and check it against our story rules.

AI never publishes anything. Our editor reads every article, checks every fact against its source, rewrites where needed and approves the final version. Every AI suggestion in our editing tools is labeled, and nothing changes until a person chooses it.

Images. Many articles use our own illustrations. Some use photos made with AI image tools to set the scene. These never show real people, are never used with a reader's story, and are labeled "Image made with AI" where they appear. A reader's story only ever shows the reader's own photo, or no photo.

Real stories from readers

Every story in our Real stories section comes from a reader who sent it to us. A person reads it, edits it lightly for length and clarity, and sends the final version back to the writer. Nothing is published until the writer has approved it. Writers use a first name or a pen name, and their own photo or none.

We don't pay for stories or reward positive ones, and we don't publish stories written by AI and presented as real. If a writer has a connection to us, the story says so at the top. That includes working for Datelyst or for Spark Twice (run by Datelyst's parent company), being related to someone who does, or being a paying member of that matchmaking service.

Every story page carries the line: "A real story from a Datelyst reader. Shared with permission and lightly edited." Writers can ask us to take their story down at any time. Our story guidelines explain the whole process.

Advice, health and safety

Our articles are general information. They aren't medical, legal, financial, therapy or other professional advice. When a topic touches money, law, health or grief, we point you to the right professional. When we write about scams or safety, we stay calm and practical, and we never blame people who've been targeted. Where it matters, we include real help lines that we've checked, such as the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and the National Domestic Violence Hotline.

How we review apps, sites and matchmakers

Each service we list has a short "our take". We base it on what we can check: the service's own pricing pages and terms, how it verifies members, how easy it is to cancel, public complaints and reporting, and research about it. When we've used a service ourselves, we say so. We look at every listing again at least once a year, and sooner if something important changes.

If we show a rating, it reflects our judgment of four things: who the service suits, how clear its pricing and renewals are, how it handles safety and verification, and how easy it is to leave. Ratings and reviews are never for sale.

Money and recommendations

Datelyst earns money from affiliate links, sponsored placements and sign-ups to Spark Twice, which is run by Datelyst's parent company. None of it changes what we recommend:

• An affiliate commission never changes a review, a rating or a quiz pick. We also recommend services that pay us nothing.
• A sponsor buys a labeled spot, never an opinion. Sponsors can't change quiz points, review wording, ratings or what we write.
• Every link that earns us money is labeled right beside it.

How we make money explains each of these in full.

Our parent company's matchmaking service

Spark Twice is a matchmaking service run by Datelyst's parent company. Because we have a stake in it, we follow extra rules whenever it appears:

• The note "Run by Datelyst's parent company." appears beside every mention, on every page and in every email.
• It's never given a number, a score, a star rating or a place in a ranking against other services.
• In the quiz, it appears only when a matchmaker is one of your top three ways to meet, and it earns its place with the same points every other matchmaker gets. Ownership and money never move it up.
• It has an "Our pick" spot in our matchmaker section and on some pages for people looking for a serious relationship. That spot is there because we own it, not because it won a ranking, and the ownership note is always beside it.

Corrections and updates

If we get something wrong, we want to know. Email [email protected] with "Correction" in the subject line and the link to the page. We check every report. When we fix a factual error, we add a note at the end of the article saying what changed and when. We fix typos and broken links without a note.

When we update an article in a meaningful way, such as new research or a changed price, the article shows the date it was updated.

What partners can't buy

Advertisers, sponsors and affiliate partners can't buy or influence our reviews, ratings, quiz results, article topics, the stories we publish or the wording of anything we write. We don't publish sponsored articles. If that ever changes, a sponsored article will be labeled "Sponsored" at the top, with the sponsor's name.

Questions

Write to [email protected]. A person reads every message.