Orthodate editorial standards

Resource articles carry the byline “Orthodate Editorial.” That name identifies Orthodate as the publisher; it does not imply that every guide was written or reviewed by a priest, therapist, lawyer, physician or financial professional. If a qualified individual reviews a guide in the future, the page will name that person and describe the relevant role.

The editorial collection has one focused audience: Orthodox Christian adults navigating online dating, relationships and preparation for marriage. Articles are written to answer a real decision a reader may face, not to manufacture pages for every possible search phrase.

A guide begins with the reader’s practical question. The article then separates a direct answer from the context, choices, warning signs and next steps needed to use that answer responsibly. Examples and checklists are included when they help someone act, not simply to make a page longer.

Digital research and writing tools, including AI-assisted tools, may support outlining, comparison and editing. They are not treated as authorities. Before publication, claims are checked for internal consistency and against the sources named on the page; broad wording is revised when an answer depends on a jurisdiction, diocese, parish or individual circumstance.

Orthodate does not publish scraped personal stories, invented testimonials or composite “success stories” presented as real people. A hypothetical example is identified by its wording and exists only to make a decision easier to understand.

When an article discusses Orthodox teaching, sacramental eligibility or jurisdictional practice, it prefers first-party sources from canonical Orthodox churches, bishops’ assemblies, dioceses or parishes. A source supports the specific statement for which it is relevant; it does not turn general information into a ruling on one reader’s situation.

Orthodox pastoral practice can vary by jurisdiction and personal history. Questions involving a mixed-faith relationship, a previous marriage, reception into the Church, wedding eligibility or a rule of prayer belong with the priest and diocese responsible for the people involved. The guides should help a couple ask better questions before that conversation, never replace it.

Safety articles favour primary public-interest sources such as consumer-protection agencies, law-enforcement guidance and established support organisations. They use plain actions—keep financial information private, verify gradually, meet publicly, preserve independent transport and report concerning conduct—without promising that a checklist can guarantee safety.

The resource library provides general education, not emergency, medical, mental-health, legal or financial advice. A person in immediate danger should contact local emergency services. Someone making a consequential decision about health, law, money or personal safety should use an appropriately qualified local professional or support service.

Orthodate operates the dating service described on this website, so the publisher has an obvious commercial interest when a guide mentions the app. Articles do not claim that using Orthodate guarantees a match, a relationship, safety or marriage. Member availability varies by place, preferences and time.

External sources are selected for their relevance to the subject. Orthodate does not accept payment in exchange for including an organisation in a guide, and a source link is not an endorsement of every statement or service on the linked website.

Each resource shows the date on which its substantive content was last reviewed or changed. Dates are not advanced merely to make an unchanged page look fresh. When guidance, product behaviour or a cited source changes materially, the affected article should be reviewed and its visible date updated.

Readers can report a factual error, broken source or unclear passage through the contact page. A correction should fix the claim and any connected metadata or structured data at the same time so that readers, search engines and feeds receive the same account.