Editorial Policy

1. Our Editorial Mission

Nursing in the U.S. is regulated by 50+ separate state Boards of Nursing, each with its own portal, fee schedule, CE rules, NLC status, and quirks. The information is public — every board publishes it — but it’s spread across 50+ inconsistent websites, and finding the right rule for a multistate scenario (Compact, endorsement, military spouse waiver, etc.) is its own minor research project.

Our editorial mission is to consolidate that into one consistent format, in plain English, kept up to date, and always linked back to the state board’s own publication so readers can verify and act.

2. Quality Standards Every State Page Meets

• The state name and board name match the official board’s homepage (e.g., “California Board of Registered Nursing,” “Texas Board of Nursing,” “Florida Board of Nursing”). For states with split boards, both are documented (California BVNPT for LVNs/Psych Techs, Texas BON, etc.)
• The official license verification URL is verified live and points to the actual lookup tool
• License types covered (RN, LPN/LVN, APRN with role designations) match what the board issues
• Renewal cadence and CE requirements match the board’s published rules on the date of the last review
• NLC status is correct and matches NCSBN’s compact-state list
• APRN scope-of-practice classification (full/reduced/restricted) reflects the AANP framework as of the review date
• “Last reviewed” date appears on every page
• Discipline/board-action search link is included where the board publishes one

3. Source Hierarchy

Full hierarchy with named sources, URLs, and how each is used is on the Sources & Methodology page.

4. Verification — Our Seven-Step Process

1. Identify the right board. We use the state Board of Nursing’s official homepage as the entry point. For states with split boards (California BRN/BVNPT, etc.), we document both.
2. Confirm the agency name. We cross-check the exact name and URL against NCSBN’s board directory.
3. Read the source pages in full. We read the actual license-verification page, the renewal page, the CE rules page, and any current notices about CE topic mandates or NLC implementation.
4. Test verification live. We perform a sample license verification (using a known public test license or a board-published example) to confirm the workflow.
5. Cross-check NLC status. Compact membership is verified against NCSBN’s current member-state list — this changes periodically as states join.
6. Verify external links. Every link to a board, statute, or other external source is clicked and confirmed.
7. Editor sign-off. A second editor reviews the page before it goes live.

5. Update Cycles

6. Corrections Process

1. You report it. Email info@boardofnursings.org with subject “Correction” and the page URL.
2. We acknowledge. Response within seven business days confirms receipt.
3. We verify. An editor goes back to the state board’s official page and confirms the current position.
4. We correct. If confirmed, the page is updated. Substantive corrections — wrong portal URL, wrong CE rule, wrong NLC status — trigger a published correction note dated and described in plain English.
5. We tell you. The reporter is notified once the correction is live.

7. AI Tools and Authorship

• AI tools may be used for first drafts, summarization of board pages, formatting consistency, and language polish
• Every state page is reviewed line by line by a human editor before publication
• Portal URLs, license fees, CE requirements, and NLC status are confirmed against the board’s own page by a human — never trusted to an AI summary alone
• AI-generated text that turns out to misstate a board procedure is corrected through the standard corrections process
• We do not allow AI to invent state-specific procedures, fabricate links, or describe rules that aren’t in the source

8. Editorial Independence

We do not take payment from any state Board of Nursing, NCSBN, or any nursing professional association in exchange for editorial coverage. We do not take payment from CE providers, NCLEX prep services, license-services firms, nurse staffing agencies, or law firms in exchange for being mentioned, recommended, or omitted on state pages. The site is funded by display advertising on the principle that advertising and editorial are separate functions.

9. Advertising and Disclosure

• Display advertisements are visually distinct from editorial content and labeled where required
• Affiliate links — where we earn a commission for a referral — are disclosed in context per FTC endorsement guidance
• Sponsored content, if it ever appears, is clearly identified as paid-for
• We do not insert affiliate links into the editorial portion of state pages; the official state board link always comes first

FTC endorsement guidance: ftc.gov.

10. Conflicts of Interest

• The editorial team is not employed by, contracted to, or financially connected to any state Board of Nursing, NCSBN, ANA, ANCC, or other nursing organization
• The editorial team is not employed by, contracted to, or financially connected to any CE provider, NCLEX prep service, or nurse staffing agency
• We don’t accept gifts, hospitality, or considerations from these organizations in exchange for coverage

11. Sensitive Topics

Nursing licensure intersects with several sensitive topics — substance use disorder among nurses (and the alternative-to-discipline programs that exist in most states), name and gender-marker changes on licenses, mental-health disclosure questions on applications, and discipline records that affect employment. We try to handle these fairly:

• Where states operate alternative-to-discipline (ATD) or recovery monitoring programs (sometimes called Intervention Programs or Diversion Programs), we describe them factually and link the official program page — without commenting on individual cases
• We treat name-change, gender-marker, and former-name questions as administrative procedures with state-specific forms — we describe what’s published, not what’s not
• We do not republish or scrape individual discipline records; we link to the board’s own database
• We treat mental-health disclosure questions on applications as state-policy matters and link the published rules without editorializing

12. Reader Feedback

Substantive feedback — corrections, suggestions, broken-link reports — is logged and addressed within seven business days. Nurses, nurse-attorneys, credentialing professionals, and academic faculty who use these portals daily often spot inconsistencies before our quarterly review catches them. Feedback that is abusive, threatening, or harassing is not engaged with and may be reported under our Terms of Service.

13. Language, Tone, and Accessibility

• State pages are written in plain English at a level intended to be accessible to a general adult nursing-professional audience
• We spell out acronyms (RN, LPN, LVN, APRN, NP, CNS, CRNA, CNM, NCLEX, NLC, NCSBN, ANA, ANCC, AANP, AANA, ACNM, CCNE, ACEN, NLN CNEA, ATT, ATD, BRN, BVNPT, BON) on first use in any page
• Where Spanish is the dominant language for a substantial portion of a state’s nursing workforce, we link the board’s Spanish-language pages where they exist
• We follow our Accessibility Statement, including WCAG 2.1 AA targets