Evidence policy

Kitletics separates evidence types so readers can tell a manufacturer number from a wear-test note. This page is the canonical hierarchy. The methodology overview summarises the same rules without repeating every detail.

Evidence hierarchy

1. Manufacturer specifications — stack, drop, weight, materials, and published geometry when taken from manufacturer materials. Useful for comparing design intent; not a comfort guarantee.
2. Retailer / offer data — regional prices, availability, and seller labels from verified Offer records. Prices can change; stale offers are not presented as confidently current.
3. Independent sources — third-party reviews, lab notes, or specialist coverage we cite when available. These inform editorial synthesis; they are not Kitletics first-hand tests.
4. First-hand evidence — only when a review carries personal-test evidence and structured testing context. Today, Kitletics publishes zero first-hand reviews. Pages must not imply otherwise.

Editorial research

Most Kitletics reviews are Expert Research Reviews: synthesis from specs, catalog peers, and independent coverage. That is buying guidance — not a lab certificate and not a wear log.

Unknown stays unknown

Incomplete fields remain null or omitted. We would rather show a gap than invent a Women’s weight, a stack height, or a “tested for X km” claim. Specs used in comparisons come from the Product record so articles cannot quietly diverge from the catalog.

Review-type labels are defined on how we review.