EDITORIAL STANDARDS
These public rules guide naming, description, cultural context, evidence language and safety boundaries across canonical Smell Pages and editorial discovery routes.
Prefer names ordinary people recognize. Preserve state or context in the name when it meaningfully changes the smell identity: Wet Stone, Baked Apple, Rain on Concrete and Hotel Bathroom are different public objects from Stone, Apple, Rain or Hotel.
Use plain-language sensory words. Keep source names separate from descriptors, avoid pretending descriptors are objective measurements, and do not copy proprietary fragrance taxonomies.
A place profile is a contextual mixture, not a permanent chemical signature. Weather, materials, food, ventilation, occupancy and time can all change it.
Describe recognizable product/material smell identities without implying safety, quality, efficacy or permission for intentional exposure.
Describe sensory context without diagnosing health, judging hygiene, inferring identity or making veterinary conclusions.
VERIFIED applies to a narrow claim, not to an entire profile. Write original summaries, cite appropriate sources and include a scope statement that explains what the evidence does not establish.
Memory, emotion, cleanliness, color, texture, sound and seasonal associations can vary by person and culture. Label them CULTURAL or editorial unless first-party community data or specific evidence exists.
Do not provide raw chemical dosing, intentional-inhalation instructions, medical diagnosis, hazardous exposure advice or guarantees about attraction, psychology, health or behavior.
If a statement depends on personal or cultural perception, write it as an association. If it is factual and verifiable, source the specific claim. If neither applies, do not overstate it.