Why Our Process Matters
At UCSF EARS, we're committed to providing accurate, trustworthy information about hearing health. Every article moves through a clear editorial workflow before it reaches you. This page explains what our badges mean and how drafts become expert-reviewed content.
Understanding Article Status Badges
At the top of many EARS articles, you'll see a small badge that tells you where that piece of content is in our editorial workflow. Here's what each status means:
🤖 Draft Article
What it means: The article was created with AI assistance using evidence-based medical resources and internal guidelines.
What you should know: The content has not yet been fully reviewed by our editorial team or UCSF clinicians. It's based on trusted source material but may still be refined for clarity, emphasis, or updated evidence.
✍️ In Review
What it means: Our editorial team is actively reviewing the article.
What we do at this stage:
- Check every claim against authoritative sources
- Clarify confusing sections and remove jargon
- Ensure tone is empathetic and patient-centered
- Confirm that risks and limitations are accurately described
🔬 Expert Review
What it means: The article is being reviewed by UCSF hearing specialists (audiologists, otologists, and related experts).
What clinicians check:
- Medical accuracy and alignment with current guidelines
- Clinical appropriateness for real-world patients
- Whether anything important is missing or misemphasized
- That safety-related information is clear and prominent
🌐 Translation in Progress
What it means: The English version of the article has been approved and is being translated into other languages.
Why it matters: Translation is more than swapping words between languages—we work to preserve meaning, nuance, and medical accuracy for each language community we serve.
✅ Approved
What it means: The article has completed both editorial and expert review and meets our standards for accuracy, clarity, and accessibility.
How it's maintained: Approved articles are monitored and updated as guidelines change, new evidence emerges, or readers flag questions.
Our Review Workflow
All EARS articles move through the same high-level workflow. Some steps can overlap, but the sequence stays consistent:
- Draft (🤖): An initial article is created using AI assistance and internal templates based on clinician-identified topics and authoritative sources.
- Editorial Review (✍️): Editors verify accuracy, clarify explanations, and check for completeness, tone, and safety.
- Expert Review (🔬): UCSF hearing specialists review the content for medical accuracy and clinical relevance.
- Translation (🌐): Approved English content is translated into additional languages where appropriate.
- Approved (✅): The article is published or updated with its new status and review date.
This process applies whether the first draft was written traditionally or with AI assistance. No article skips directly from draft to “Approved.”
How AI Supports Our Mission
We use AI as a tool to help us create comprehensive hearing health content more efficiently. It changes how fast we can work, not how careful we are.
What AI Does
- Synthesizes information from trusted medical references and guidelines
- Helps draft structured, readable articles on complex topics
- Maintains consistency across related pages (for example, using the same explanation of how audiograms work)
- Surfaces gaps where we may need more content or clarification
What Humans Do
- Choose what topics to cover based on real patient questions
- Decide which sources are authoritative and up to date
- Review and revise every draft for accuracy, nuance, and patient safety
- Apply clinical judgment and lived experience that AI simply doesn’t have
Our Commitment
AI never publishes directly to the site. While AI helps us work faster, human experts—editors and clinicians—decide what is accurate, what is safe, and what is ready for patients and families to read.
Keeping Content Accurate Over Time
Even the best-reviewed article can become outdated as science and clinical guidelines evolve. To keep EARS content current:
- We track updates in professional guidelines from organizations like AAO-HNS, ASHA, AAA, and NIDCD.
- We monitor high-impact research that could change recommendations about hearing devices, surgery, or diagnostics.
- We review high-traffic articles regularly to ensure they still reflect current best practices.
- We respond to reader feedback—if someone flags a potential issue, we investigate and update when needed.
Every article includes a “Updated” date in its header so you can quickly see how recently it’s been reviewed.
Questions or Concerns About Our Content?
If you have concerns about an article—or notice information that seems outdated or unclear—we genuinely want to know. Reader feedback is one of the ways we improve EARS over time.
- Include the article URL when you contact us
- Tell us which specific statement or section you’re concerned about
- Share any sources or clinical experience you think we should consider
Our editorial team reviews every message and routes clinical questions to the appropriate experts when needed.
Next Steps: Learn More About EARS Content
Curious how this process connects to individual articles, AI Draft badges, or our safety policies? These resources go deeper.
The Bottom Line
Our editorial process exists to protect you. From initial draft to expert review, translation, and ongoing updates, every step is designed to keep EARS content accurate, clear, and safe to use as general education.
AI helps us work faster; human experts ensure we meet clinical standards. The badges you see at the top of articles are our way of being transparent about where each piece sits in that process—so you can decide how to use it in your own decision-making.
If you ever see something that doesn’t seem right, tell us. Your questions help us keep EARS trustworthy for everyone navigating hearing loss.