The rules behind every review
Every finding in a Careful Copy report names the rule it came from. These are those rules: what each one covers, what we suggest instead, and how much it weighs against the score. 55 rules, published so you can check any finding rather than take it on trust.
A rule is a pattern, not a verdict. Finding one on your page does not mean the sentence is wrong, and the report says so: each item quotes your wording, gives the reason, and suggests a replacement you can accept or ignore. Standard medical vocabulary is never a finding. A rewrite never adds a fact, a number or a credential that was not already on your site.
Weight is what the rule costs against the trust and clarity score: Fix is 15 points, Rewrite is 6, Note is 2. The same rule counts at most twice on one page. Legal review items carry no weight at all.
Framing
What a careful reader could take the page to mean. These are about certainty, finality and urgency, not about vocabulary: standard medical terms are never a finding.
| Rule | What it covers | What we suggest | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| FR-01Certainty overclaim | outcomes, diagnoses or effects stated as certain, universal or guaranteed. "Guaranteed results", "painless", "100% success", "permanently removes", "cures". | shield-verb rewrite (SV) that keeps the information and drops the certainty. | Fix |
| FR-02Diagnostic finality | the service presented as the end of the patient's journey. "Get your diagnosis online", "Know for sure", "Final answer". For second-opinion and telehealth profiles: any implication that the treating physician is no longer needed. | consultative bridge (ST-03), reposition as one input to a discussion. | Fix |
| FR-03Urgency and emergency | language that invites urgent or emergency reliance on the service, or creates artificial urgency. "Immediate help", "don't wait", "emergency consultations online". | remove urgency; add redirect to local emergency services where relevant. | Fix |
| FR-04Implied primary care / doctor-patient relationship | Profile-dependent. For informational services (second-opinion, some telehealth): any copy implying treatment, prescribing, or an ongoing care relationship. For practices: not a finding. | scope statement (ST-01). | Rewrite |
| FR-05Directive treatment language | "You should", "You must", "Your doctor should", "Stop taking", instructions addressed to the reader about their own treatment. | "Patients may wish to discuss with their treating physician whether..." | Rewrite |
| FR-06Adjudication of other clinicians | copy framing the provider as correcting, overruling or judging another clinician's work. "Your radiologist may have missed", "Second opinions catch errors". | independent parallel view framing. | Rewrite |
| FR-07Superlatives without support | "leading", "best", "number one", "top clinic", "most experienced" without a verifiable, cited basis. | replace with a specific, verifiable fact or remove. | Rewrite |
| FR-08Invented or unverifiable numbers | patient counts, success rates, years of experience, review counts with no source. | keep only numbers the customer can verify; mark others for confirmation. | Rewrite |
| FR-09Fear-based persuasion | copy that leverages fear of illness to drive action. "Every day you wait...", "Could be cancer". | neutral information plus a calm next step. | Rewrite |
| FR-11Standard of perfection | copy implying the service cannot err or catches everything. "Error-free", "we never miss", "flawless reporting", "100% accurate", "every detail found", "no detail is overlooked". | describe the process, not the outcome. "A structured sub-specialty review with a documented reporting process." | Fix |
| FR-10Scope drift | services or conditions mentioned that the provider does not offer, "coming soon" specialties, plural-provider language for a single practitioner (profile-dependent). Weight: Fix where a page offers a service the provider states elsewhere that it does not provide, since a patient can book on the strength of it. Rewrite for narrower drift. | align copy to the confirmed scope; single-provider language where applicable. | Rewrite |
Clinical wording
The vocabulary that turns a description into a promise, and what to use instead.
| Rule | What it covers | What we suggest | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| SV-01Prohibited certainty constructions (EN) | "confirms", "rules out", "excluded with confidence", "diagnostic of", "proves", "means that", "You have", "Your scan shows", "The diagnosis is", "cures", "eliminates", "permanently", "guaranteed", "always", "never fails", "100%". | no rewrite offered | Rewrite |
| SV-02Preferred formulations (EN) | "may be consistent with", "features favour", "interpreted as more consistent with X than Y", "suggest the possibility of", "findings raise the possibility of", "is commonly used for", "may help with", "is intended to", "many patients experience", "to support discussion with your treating physician". | no rewrite offered | |
| SV-03Prohibited certainty constructions (DE) | "bestätigt", "schließt aus", "beweist", "eindeutig", "garantiert", "heilt", "dauerhaft beseitigt", "Sie haben", "Ihr Befund zeigt", "die Diagnose lautet", "immer", "zu 100 %", "schmerzfrei" (as an absolute), "risikofrei", "nebenwirkungsfrei". | no rewrite offered | Rewrite |
| SV-04Preferred formulations (DE) | "kann vereinbar sein mit", "die Befunde sprechen eher für", "deutet auf die Möglichkeit hin", "wird häufig eingesetzt bei", "kann unterstützen", "ist darauf ausgelegt", "viele Patientinnen und Patienten berichten", "zur Besprechung mit Ihrer behandelnden Ärztin oder Ihrem Arzt". | no rewrite offered | |
| SV-05Reader-directed diagnosis | Second person plus a diagnosis or outcome ("You have", "Sie leiden an") outside a clearly hypothetical FAQ framing. Rewrite in third person or conditional. | no rewrite offered | Fix |
| SV-06Comparative to other clinicians | "more accurate than your doctor", "genauer als Ihr Radiologe". Rewrite as independent parallel view (FR-06). | no rewrite offered | Rewrite |
| SV-07Reassurance and normality | reassurance stated as a settled fact. "Is normal", "perfectly healthy", "nothing to worry about", "no treatment is necessary", "you don't need to see anyone about this". | technical precision plus a bridge. "Within physiological limits", "no focal abnormality is demonstrated on this study", "consider discussing [finding] with your treating physician". Wording that instructs the reader to start or stop treatment is FR-05. | Rewrite |
Structure
Whether the page answers first, says who is responsible, and sends the reader back to their own clinician.
| Rule | What it covers | What we suggest | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| ST-01Scope statement present | Profile-dependent. Informational services (second-opinion, telehealth-informational) need a scope statement on every major page with four elements: what the service is; it supports discussion with the treating physician; no doctor-patient relationship is created; it does not diagnose or treat. Practices and aesthetics clinics need a shorter statement of what is offered and that individual suitability is assessed in consultation. | generate from the profile's template, filled only with facts present on the site. | Rewrite |
| ST-02Answer block under H1 | Service, condition, treatment and FAQ-anchor pages should open with a 45 to 60 word block directly under the H1 covering, in order: what the service is; who performs it (named, credentialed); scope; method or modality; timeframe if applicable; named frameworks where relevant; closing bridge to the treating physician or to a consultation. | draft the block from facts on the page. Never add facts. | Rewrite |
| ST-03Consultative bridge | Every clinical content section ends by redirecting to the treating physician or to an individual consultation. Absence on a clinical page is a finding. | one closing sentence. | Rewrite |
| ST-04FAQ shape (Punch-Flow-Punch) | FAQ answers: one direct answer sentence; two to four sentences of context with shield-verb framing and named frameworks where relevant; one closing bridge sentence. | reshape existing answers; keep facts, change shape. | Note |
| ST-05Headline accessibility | Patient-facing headlines lead with plain language; clinical entity terms belong in the subtitle or first sentence, not the H1 alone. "Understanding your brain MRI results" beats "Neuroradiological assessment of intracranial pathology". | hybrid headline. | Note |
| ST-06Emergency redirect | Pages describing symptoms or urgent conditions must state that the service is not for emergencies and point to local emergency services. | no rewrite offered | Fix |
| ST-07Single vs plural provider consistency | Copy must match the profile's provider count. "Our team of specialists" for a single practitioner is a finding; the reverse is not. | no rewrite offered | Rewrite |
Authority and search readiness
Whether a named, credentialed person stands behind the page, and whether a search engine can tell.
| Rule | What it covers | What we suggest | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| EA-01Named practitioner | Clinical pages name the responsible practitioner with credentials. "Our specialists", "our Clinical Lead", "our team" with no name where a name exists on the site is a finding. | insert the name and credential as they appear on the site's profile page; link to that page. Never invent or upgrade credentials. | Fix |
| EA-02Canonical profile page | One page holds the full profile: name, photo, credentials, registrations, memberships, conflict-of-interest or ownership disclosure where relevant. Every mention links to it. | no rewrite offered | Rewrite |
| EA-03Author byline on articles | Blog and guide pages carry a named author with credential and a "reviewed by" line where the author is not the clinician. | no rewrite offered | Rewrite |
| EA-04Structured data | Organisation pages: MedicalOrganization or MedicalClinic schema. Practitioner pages: Physician. FAQ pages: FAQPage. Articles: MedicalWebPage with author. Missing or generic (Organization only) is a finding. | JSON-LD skeleton filled only from facts on the page. | Rewrite |
| EA-05Credential precision | Credentials stated exactly as held. "Neuroradiologist" where the site elsewhere says "radiologist with a focus on neuroradiology" is a finding (route also to LR-01). | no rewrite offered | Rewrite |
| EA-06Editorial and review policy pages | Sites with articles should have an editorial policy and a medical review process page. | no rewrite offered | Note |
| EA-07Dated and reviewed content | Articles show a last-reviewed date and reviewer. | no rewrite offered | Note |
| EA-08Entity and framework terms | Condition pages benefit from correctly used clinical entity terms and framework names (e.g. McDonald criteria, RANO, Fazekas) where the provider actually applies them. | Suggest only where the site already indicates use; never add frameworks. | Note |
| EA-09Internal linking to authority surfaces | Service pages link to the practitioner profile, the process page and the relevant FAQ. | no rewrite offered | Note |
| EA-10Contact and physical presence | Address, registration body, and how to reach a human are easy to find. | no rewrite offered | Note |
House style
Editorial quality. Mostly notes rather than blocking findings.
| Rule | What it covers | What we suggest | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| HS-01Em dashes | Frequent em dashes read as machine-written and reduce perceived expertise. Suggest commas, full stops or colons. | no rewrite offered | Note |
| HS-02"Board-certified" outside the US | Use the local credential: "Facharzt für ...", "Consultant ...", "specialist registered with ...". US customers: not a finding. | no rewrite offered | Rewrite |
| HS-03Sentence case headings | Title Case Every Word reads as templated. Suggest sentence case. | no rewrite offered | Note |
| HS-04Paragraph length | Health pages: three to five sentences per paragraph. Walls of text are a finding. | no rewrite offered | Note |
| HS-05Bullet overuse | Bullets only where content is list-shaped. Clinical explanations in bullets lose the shield framing. | no rewrite offered | Note |
| HS-06Alt text | Alt text describes the image literally. Alt text that duplicates the adjacent headline, or is keyword-stuffed, is a finding. Decorative images: empty alt. | no rewrite offered | Note |
| HS-07Emoji in medical content | Remove. | no rewrite offered | Rewrite |
| HS-08Jargon without explanation | Clinical terms used without a plain-language gloss on patient-facing pages. | no rewrite offered | Note |
| HS-09Regional spelling consistency | UK pages: UK spelling throughout (tumour, haemorrhage, optimise). US pages: US spelling throughout (tumor, hemorrhage, optimize). Mixed spelling is a finding. | no rewrite offered | Note |
| HS-10Exclamation marks in medical content | Remove. | no rewrite offered | Note |
Legal review items
Never rewritten. These are listed with the quote and the page so you can take one clear list to a lawyer. They do not affect the score.
| Rule | What it covers | What we suggest | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| LR-01Credentials, registrations, specialty titles | Any credential, title or registration claim. We cannot verify them. | no rewrite offered | |
| LR-02Insurance and indemnity statements | no rewrite offered | ||
| LR-03Country, eligibility and cross-border claims | "Available in ...", "licensed in ...", "serving patients worldwide". | no rewrite offered | |
| LR-04Consent flows and data handling | Forms, uploads, cookie banners, privacy wording, health data statements. | no rewrite offered | |
| LR-05Prices, discounts, refunds, financing | Price presentation, bundles, discounts, vouchers, payment plans. | no rewrite offered | |
| LR-06Mandatory information | Impressum / legal notice, professional body, supervisory authority, VAT, registration numbers, complaint routes. Pages matching these patterns run in framing mode only. | no rewrite offered | |
| LR-07Testimonials, reviews, case histories | Listed here in addition to any DE/UK pattern flag, because removal or retention is a decision with legal weight. | no rewrite offered | |
| LR-08Before/after imagery | no rewrite offered | ||
| LR-09Prescription medicines, devices, named products | Any promotional mention of a prescription medicine, medical device or branded product. | no rewrite offered | |
| LR-10Guarantees and warranties | Any explicit guarantee wording. | no rewrite offered |
Country layers
Some phrasing is read differently by the advertising rules of a particular country. Where a site markets to patients in Germany or the United Kingdom, an extra layer of pattern checks applies, and anything it finds is listed under Legal review items with the quote and the page. We never state that something breaks a rule of law, and we never apply a law to your case.
Those layers are not published here. Each pattern carries a reference to a statute or a ruling, and every one of ours is marked for confirmation by a qualified lawyer in that country before the layer is sold. Publishing our unconfirmed reading of German or British advertising law would be exactly the kind of claim this service exists to discourage. They will be published when counsel has been through them.
Profiles
The same rule set is applied differently depending on what the site is. A dental practice is not a second-opinion service, and an agency selling to clinics is neither. Six profiles exist: practice, dental, aesthetics, telehealth, second-opinion, and agency. The profile decides which rules are heightened, which do not apply, and what a good opening paragraph looks like for that kind of page.
Changes
The rule set is versioned and dated, and every report records the version it was produced under. Rules change when a review shows they are wrong: the scoring was changed after our own site scored 100 on pages that had findings, and the agency profile exists because reviewing our own site showed there was no profile that fitted.
Careful Copy is not a law firm. These rules are editorial, they do not assess the legality of anything, and what you publish is your decision.