Our Mission
USA Symbol is dedicated to providing accurate, comprehensive, and accessible information about official state symbols across the United States. We believe that understanding state symbols helps Americans connect with their local history, appreciate regional diversity, and develop a deeper sense of civic pride.
This Editorial Policy outlines our standards for content creation, fact-checking, source verification, and corrections to ensure the highest quality of information for our readers.
1. Editorial Independence
USA Symbol operates as an independent educational resource. Our editorial decisions are made solely based on educational value, accuracy, and relevance to our mission. We do not accept payment for content placement, and advertisers have no influence over our editorial content or decision-making process.
While we display advertisements through Google Adsense and Ezoic to support the site's operations, these advertising relationships do not affect what content we publish or how we present information.
2. Research Methodology
Every article on USA Symbol follows a rigorous research process to ensure accuracy and reliability:
Primary Source Verification
We begin by consulting official state government websites, state legislative records, and official state symbols lists published by each state's government. This ensures we capture the most authoritative and up-to-date information about official designations, adoption dates, and legislative history.
Primary sources include: state .gov websites, state legislative databases, official state archives, and state historical society publications.
Cross-Reference with Reliable Sources
Information is cross-checked against multiple authoritative secondary sources including Wikipedia, educational databases, academic publications, and historical references. This provides additional context, historical background, and verification of facts.
Secondary sources include: Wikipedia, Encyclopedia Britannica, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, National Audubon Society, USDA Plant Database, and academic journals.
Editorial Review and Fact-Checking
Before publication, all content undergoes editorial review to ensure clarity, accuracy, and proper citation of sources. We verify dates, names, scientific nomenclature, and historical details. Any discrepancies between sources are investigated and resolved using the most authoritative source available.
Regular Updates and Maintenance
State symbols can change over time as legislatures adopt new designations or modify existing ones. We monitor state legislative activity and review our content regularly to ensure all information remains current and accurate. Each article displays a "Last Updated" date for transparency.
3. Source Standards and Attribution
What Sources We Use
We prioritize the following types of sources in order of preference:
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1.
Official Government Sources: state .gov websites, legislative databases, state codes and statutes
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2.
State Historical Societies: archives, publications, and historical records maintained by official state historical organizations
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3.
Academic and Scientific Organizations: Cornell Lab of Ornithology, National Audubon Society, USDA, botanical gardens, universities
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4.
Established Reference Works: Wikipedia, Encyclopedia Britannica, reputable educational websites
Citation Practice
Every state symbol page includes a "Sources & References" section listing all sources consulted during research. We include:
- Full source names and descriptions
- Direct links to source materials when available
- Access dates for online sources
- Clear indication of primary vs. secondary sources
4. Accuracy Standards
We maintain high standards for factual accuracy:
- Dates and Timeline: adoption dates, designation years, and historical timelines are verified against official legislative records.
- Scientific Names: scientific nomenclature is verified against authoritative taxonomic sources.
- Common Names: we use widely accepted common names and note regional variations when relevant.
- Historical Context: narrative context is supported by multiple sources and clearly distinguished from official designations.
5. Corrections Policy
Despite our best efforts, errors may occasionally occur. We are committed to correcting mistakes promptly and transparently.
How to Report an Error
If you believe you've found an error, inaccuracy, or outdated information on our site, please contact us at contact@usasymbol.com with:
- The specific page URL where the error appears
- A description of the error or inaccuracy
- If possible, a link to an authoritative source showing the correct information
- Your contact information (optional, but helpful for follow-up)
Our Correction Process
1. Investigation: we investigate all reported errors and verify information against our sources and additional references.
2. Correction: if an error is confirmed, we correct it promptly. Significant corrections may be noted on the article.
3. Update Date: the "Last Updated" date is revised when a meaningful correction is made.
4. Response: if you provide contact details, we may notify you when the correction is completed.
Types of Corrections
- Minor corrections: typos, small formatting issues, or wording improvements.
- Factual corrections: errors in dates, names, or factual details.
- Major corrections: substantial changes that affect the meaning of content.
6. Content Updates
We review and update our content on a regular basis:
- Regular Reviews: content is periodically reviewed to ensure accuracy.
- Legislative Monitoring: we monitor state legislative sessions for new symbol designations or changes.
- Source Verification: we re-verify important external sources and update links as needed.
- Content Expansion: we continuously add more detail and context to existing articles.
7. Editorial Team
8. User Contributions and Feedback
We welcome feedback, suggestions, and corrections from our readers. User contributions help us improve the quality and completeness of our content. While we carefully consider all submissions, we reserve the right to make final editorial decisions about what information to include and how to present it.
All user submissions are reviewed and verified against our source standards before being incorporated into our content.
9. Conflicts of Interest
USA Symbol has no financial or political affiliations that would create conflicts of interest in our editorial content. We do not promote specific states, symbols, or political viewpoints. Our goal is to present factual, balanced information about all 50 states equally.
Contact Our Editorial Team
For questions about our editorial policies, to report errors, or to provide feedback:
Email: contact@usasymbol.com
We typically respond to editorial inquiries within a reasonable time frame.
This Editorial Policy is reviewed and updated periodically to reflect our evolving standards and practices. Last updated: January 15, 2025.