Editorial policy

This page explains how we research, write, label and update every guide on Punjab Public Guide. We publish it so readers, and anyone reviewing the site, can judge our work against a clear standard.

1. The sources we use, in order

We rank sources by how close they are to the scheme itself. First come official application portals, such as cmlaptophed.punjab.gov.pk or pmychromebooks.ibcc.edu.pk, because they show the rules applicants actually face. Second come department websites and official notices, such as the Agriculture Department’s initiatives page or a board notification. Third come state media and official press releases, such as the Press Information Department, Radio Pakistan and APP, which often carry the first announcement of a new scheme. Last come other news reports, which we use only to find leads. When we mention a news report, we name it and label it as news rather than official. We do not copy other websites’ articles, and every guide is written from our own reading of the official pages.

2. How we set status labels

Every guide carries one status label, and it is the most important line on the page, so we set it carefully. A label describes what the official source showed on the date we checked, not what we expect to happen. We never mark a scheme “open” based on news reports alone. If a portal shows a closing date that has passed, we mark it closed even if news says it may reopen. When official and news sources disagree, we choose the more cautious label and explain the disagreement in the guide. The five labels we use, and what each one means, are listed in the table below.

3. Dates on every guide

Each guide shows two dates. Published is the day the guide first went live. Last verified is the last day an editor re-read the official sources and confirmed that the guide still matches them. We change the “last verified” date only after a real check, never to make a page look fresh. If we update wording without re-checking the sources, the verified date stays the same. Each source in the “Sources we checked” list also carries its own date, so you can see whether a fact came from a portal we checked this week or a press release from months ago. Readers should always compare the verified date with today’s date, especially for schemes with short application windows.

4. Screenshots, reels and illustrative images

We use two very different kinds of image, and we label both. Screenshots and the step-by-step reels are real captures of official portals, taken by our editor, Musa Tariq, on the date in the caption. They exist so readers can recognise the real page and avoid look-alike copies, so we never edit what they show and never submit forms with made-up data to take them. Government logos appear only inside these captures. Illustrative images, such as the large photos of students, farmers or families, are created for this site to show everyday scenes. They never show officials or real events, and each is labelled “Illustrative image” so nobody mistakes it for a news photo of a scheme.

5. What we will not publish

Some rules are absolute. We do not publish invented deadlines, amounts, eligibility rules or application links, even when other websites repeat them. We do not publish thin pages written only to catch a search term, or near-copies of the same guide with a different city or year in the title. We do not publish invented testimonials, made-up “success stories” or claims that a reader was selected because of our site. We do not create buttons that look like official “Apply” buttons; official links are plain, labelled links to the real site. We do not write about a scheme in a way that favours or attacks a political party. And we do not accept money to change what a guide says about any scheme, department or bank.

6. How often we re-check, and corrections

Schemes marked Open are re-checked at least once a week while they are open, and immediately when an official announcement is made, because their windows can close with little warning. Other guides are re-checked at least once a month. If a guide becomes outdated and we cannot re-check it quickly, we add a visible warning at the top rather than leaving old information in place. When a reader reports an error, we follow our fact-checking and corrections policy: we check the claim against the official source, fix confirmed errors, update the verified date and, for changes that matter to applicants, add a dated correction note. Readers can reach the editorial desk through the contact page.

7. Advertising and independence

This site is paid for by advertising, from Google AdSense and possibly other advertising networks, and in some guides by affiliate links that earn a small commission when a reader buys something, at no extra cost to them. Every affiliate link is labelled, and we never use one for a government application, which is always free. Advertisers and affiliate partners have no say in what we write, which schemes we cover or what status we give them, and we do not accept payment for a guide or a link. Ads are always kept apart from the guide text and never styled to look like an official apply button, a status check or a government notice. We do not run ads for loans, agents or “registration services” knowingly, and if you see an ad that pretends to be a government scheme, please report it through the contact page so we can block it.