Editorial Standards

Our Review Process

Each guide goes through a four-step review before publication. We match every scoring rule, format, and sanction against the governing federation's current rulebook. We cite the rulebook edition, not a secondary article. We test the FAQ questions against live Google Search Console data so the answers match what readers actually ask. We check the answer capsule for accuracy in the first 40 to 60 words, because that block is the one AI Overviews and featured snippets quote back.

1. Primary source match — every rule traces to a current federation rulebook.
2. Rulebook edition citation — we record the version and effective dates.
3. FAQ grounding — questions come from Search Console queries, not invented.
4. Answer capsule accuracy — the opening 40–60 words hold up in isolation.

Review Cycle

Review cadence varies by sport because rulebooks revise on different schedules. Olympic sports that follow a quadrennial cycle (figure skating, gymnastics, ski jumping) get a hard review after every Olympic rulebook update and a spot check each season. Professional leagues with annual rule committees (NFL, NBA, MLB) get a hard review after the competition committee vote each spring. Sports with continuous rule updates (football under IFAB, tennis under ITF) get quarterly spot checks.

Primary Sources We Use

We cite federation rulebooks, not wikis or aggregators. The list below maps each sport we cover to its governing body. Where a sport has parallel national rulesets (college, high school, amateur), we cite the specific variant the guide addresses.

Volleyball

FIVB Official Rules of the Game, USA Volleyball Domestic Regulations, NCAA Women's Volleyball Rules, NFHS Volleyball Rules Book

Football (Soccer)

IFAB Laws of the Game, FIFA regulations, UEFA competition regulations

American football

NFL Rulebook, NCAA Football Rules, NFHS Football Rules Book

Basketball

FIBA Official Rules, NBA Rule Book, NCAA Men's/Women's Basketball Rules

Ice hockey

IIHF Rule Book, NHL Rules

Tennis

ITF Rules of Tennis, Grand Slam Rule Book, ATP/WTA rulebooks

Cricket

MCC Laws of Cricket, ICC Playing Conditions, BCCI IPL Playing Conditions

Figure skating

ISU Technical Rules, ISU Special Regulations, ISU Communications

Artistic gymnastics

FIG Code of Points, USA Gymnastics Rules and Policies

Ski jumping, snowboarding, freestyle

FIS Rule Books for the discipline, FIS Specifications

Rugby

World Rugby Laws of the Game, NRL Operations Manual, RFL Operational Rules

Paralympic sports

IPC Classification Code, World Para Alpine Skiing Rules, sport-specific Para federation rules

How We Respond to Rule Changes

When a federation publishes a rule change, we rework the affected guides inside two weeks for major changes (scoring logic, period length, penalty structure) and inside six weeks for minor changes (wording clarifications, equipment specs). Each affected guide carries a last-reviewed date and a next-review date visible on the page. If the rule change invalidates a published FAQ answer, we flag the guide with a revision note until the rewrite lands.

JudgeMate Editorial Team

Guides are written and reviewed by the JudgeMate Editorial Team. The team combines product staff who build the scoring software with outside sports editors who check rule accuracy. We publish content under the Editorial Team byline rather than individual names because every guide gets multiple eyes and we prefer readers judge the content against the rulebook, not against a personal brand. Questions or corrections go to editorial@judgemate.com — we publish corrections inside five business days.

Report an Error

Found a rule that no longer matches the current federation text, a broken source link, or a FAQ answer that reads wrong? Send the guide URL and the issue to editorial@judgemate.com. We log every report, reply with an acknowledgement inside two business days, and publish the correction with a revision note.