Editorial Policy

This page documents how Advice.lk researches, writes, sources, updates and corrects its content. It applies to every guide, comparison and reference article on the site.

1. Source hierarchy

We source facts in this order of preference:

1. Government departments and regulators. Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL), Immigration and Emigration Department, Department of Motor Traffic, University Grants Commission, Department of Examinations, Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, Disaster Management Centre, Registrar of Companies, TRCSL, Ministry circulars.
2. The provider's own primary documentation. Bank tariff sheets and product T&Cs, school prospectus and fee schedules, hotel rate cards, hosting provider pricing pages, vendor spec sheets. We link the specific document, not a homepage.
3. Established third-party data. Industry associations, published research reports and reputable trade press — used only where a primary source doesn't exist for the fact in question, and always cited.
4. First-party observation. Where we've verified something in person (visited the branch, tested the app, used the service), that is stated as such — never disguised as independent data.

Aggregator and comparison sites are not treated as primary sources. Where they surface a useful lead, we trace the underlying figure back to the provider or regulator before publishing it.

2. What "best" means on Advice.lk

There is no universal "best." Our comparisons resolve "best" to "best for a specific reader with a specific set of needs." A comparison of "the best X in Sri Lanka" will:

• State the criteria used to evaluate each option.
• Name what each option is best for — and where it falls short.
• Explain which candidates were considered, which were excluded, and why.
• Refuse a #1 ranking where one is not honestly available. If no official ranking exists (for example, Sri Lankan schools have no universal national ranking), we say so instead of manufacturing one.

3. Freshness and review cycle

Every article carries a last-reviewed date. Volatile facts — interest rates, exam dates, visa requirements, tariff schedules — are re-verified against the primary source before the review date is advanced. If a fact cannot be re-verified, it is removed or clearly flagged as unverified rather than carried forward on trust.

A hub-level review date is shown on /best-in-sri-lanka/, which reflects the most recent review across the comparisons it collects.

4. YMYL topics: finance, legal, health

For finance, legal and health topics — where a bad decision has real consequence — we apply extra rules:

• Regulatory status is stated up front. If a product is unlicensed or unregulated in Sri Lanka, the article says so.
• We do not present Advice.lk as a substitute for a licensed professional. Personal loans, insurance, tax and legal process guides direct readers to the relevant regulator or a qualified adviser for decisions that carry real risk.
• Rates and fees are quoted against the bank or provider's published tariff at the last-reviewed date. We do not quote from screenshots or third-party summaries.
• Where possible, YMYL articles carry a subject-matter reviewer named on the article. Where a suitable reviewer is not available for a specific piece, we prefer to publish a narrower article we can source rigorously rather than a broader one we cannot.

5. AI use in research and drafting

Advice.lk uses AI tools in parts of its research and drafting workflow — for outline generation, source discovery, first drafts, editorial review and SEO analysis. Every published article is reviewed by a human editor before it goes live. Facts, figures and source citations are verified against primary documentation before publication, not taken on the model's word.

We do not publish AI-generated fabrications, invented sources, invented quotes or invented statistics. Where an AI tool returns a claim that cannot be traced to a primary source, the claim is removed rather than published.

6. Advertising and affiliate disclosure

Some pages on Advice.lk carry affiliate links to third-party products and services — for example, hosting providers, banking apps or online tools. Where they exist, the article discloses them.

• An advertiser cannot pay to be ranked #1 in a comparison, or to be included in a comparison at all.
• Affiliate relationships do not change the evaluation criteria. The same criteria apply to affiliate and non-affiliate options.
• Where a comparison recommends a product we hold an affiliate relationship with, the recommendation stands on the same evidence as any other recommendation on the site.

7. Independence

Advice.lk is editorially independent from the founder's other businesses. Alston Antony operates Maxinium.com (SEO consulting) and holds a role at Brainstorm Force (AI and WordPress products). Neither business commissions content on Advice.lk, and neither receives preferential treatment in Advice.lk's guides or comparisons. Where an Advice.lk article references any of these businesses, the relationship is disclosed on the article.

8. Authors and attribution

Articles list their author. Where a specialist reviewer contributed to a YMYL article, that reviewer is named on the article. Where an article has been substantially updated by an editor other than the original author, the byline reflects that.

9. Corrections

Errors are corrected in place, with the last-reviewed date advanced. Material factual corrections — where the original claim was wrong, not merely outdated — are noted at the foot of the article. Our full process is on the corrections policy page.