Editorial policy

DecipherU publishes career intelligence for cybersecurity professionals. Our readers make hiring, certification, and career-change decisions based on what we publish. This policy explains how we produce that content and what you can expect from it.

How we write

Every career guide, certification guide, and salary page is researched from public primary sources before writing. We work from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, O*NET, NIST, MITRE, CISA, NVD, SEC filings, official certifying-body sites, and published peer-reviewed research. We do not copy content. Definitions are original. Summaries are original.

Every guide is written in plain language. We avoid jargon when plain English will do. When a cybersecurity term is necessary, we link to our glossary.

Sourcing standards

Every salary figure cites its source and year: for example, "Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024." Every certification detail, including cost, exam format, and renewal requirements, cites the official certifying body and includes a "last verified" date. Company information comes from SEC filings, Crunchbase, and company websites, never from Glassdoor, LinkedIn, Indeed, or other sites with proprietary data we can't redistribute.

We do not reproduce exam questions, training material we didn't write, or content behind a paywall. When we describe a framework, such as NIST CSF or MITRE ATT&CK, we describe it in our own words and link to the official source.

Review before publication

Every page is reviewed by Julian Calvo before publication. Julian holds a doctorate in applied learning sciences (University of Miami, 2024), a Master's in Organizational Learning and Leadership, and an MBA. His doctoral research focused on psychometric assessment design, which informs our evaluations.

Technical content touching specific certifications or government roles (for example, CISSP preparation, federal clearance paths) is cross-checked against the official issuer before publication.

AI assistance

We use AI tools (Claude by Anthropic, ChatGPT by OpenAI) as research assistants and drafting partners. Every AI-assisted draft is reviewed and edited by a human editor before publication. AI-assisted content is never published without human review. For full detail on when and how we use AI, see our AI disclosure.

Freshness

Every page carries a "Last verified" date and a content version. Salary data is reviewed annually, or whenever BLS publishes new Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (typically May of each year). Certification data is reviewed quarterly. Company data is reviewed every 6 months. Trend articles are reviewed every 90 days and flagged for update when predictions reach their date.

Corrections

If we publish something inaccurate, we correct it. Our corrections log lists every material correction we've published, with the date, what was wrong, and what the correct information is.

To report an error, email editorial@decipheru.com or use the "Report an inaccuracy" link visible at the bottom of every content page.

Advertising and conflicts of interest

DecipherU has an affiliate program: when we link to a certification exam, training course, or tool sold by a third party, and you buy after clicking our link, we may earn a commission. Every affiliate link is disclosed. See our affiliate disclosure.

We do not sell placement. We don't accept payment to include, exclude, or rank any certification, tool, or employer. Rankings, recommendations, and "best-for" selections reflect our editorial judgment based on public data.

Contact

Editorial feedback, correction requests, and press inquiries: editorial@decipheru.com