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Guide Conflict-of-Interest Policy

At About.com, we provide advice and information that are not only practical but trustworthy. In order to maintain credibility, we adhere to two guiding principles:

Objectivity: Guides engaged by About.com, or About.com Guides, don't give preferential treatment to any outside resource (publication, video, affiliate, website), based on their relationship with the person or company who authors or owns that resource. Maintaining the highest ethical standards is part of remaining a Guide on About.com.

Full Disclosure: About.com Guides always disclose any relationship with a source that may compromise their objectivity.

Guide Review Policy

As is common in the publishing industry, About.com Guides often have free access to products or services to review. Guides may keep low-cost items, such as books, DVDs, CDs and software, for their own personal libraries but not for resale. Guides may also receive free access to services or events (such as movie screenings) for the purpose of writing reviews or otherwise informing their readers. Guides return all review or demo items with a value exceeding $100. In addition, as is common in the travel industry, About.com Travel Guides may receive free food, lodging, or travel for the purpose of reviewing those services.

We require About.com Guides to provide full disclosure about any free products or services they have received, so the reader can make a decision knowing all the facts.

Health Channel Policy

Guide Selection: All Health Guides have been selected according to their experience and their expertise. How to be a guide.

Medical Review Process: All original Articles are created by expert Guides and are reviewed by our medical review board prior to publication. All Third Party Content is obtained from third-party providers whose editorial processes have been evaluated and deemed acceptable. Sources of third-party content include: government agencies, not-for-profit foundations, and professional medical publishers of health information.

Advertising Policy

All advertising content is clearly distinguished from the editorial content by the following labels: advertisement, sponsored links, ads. We do not accept advertisements for any illegal products or services or advertisements that About.com feels are objectionable or in bad taste.

Disclosure on Ecommerce Links: Some About.com Guides participate in third-party affiliate programs, in which About.com Guides may be compensated for generating sales leads through links to our ecommerce partners, such as PriceGrabber. The purpose of these programs is to standardize the process of About.com Guides’ linking to ecommerce sites.

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