Editorial Policy

Our Sources

We rely exclusively on primary, authoritative sources. We do not use third-party aggregators, user-submitted data, or unverified secondary sources as the basis for our guides. Our core sources include:

• State licensing boards and regulatory agencies — The official governing bodies that issue and regulate professional licenses in each state.
• Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) — The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program provides our national salary data.
• O*NET OnLine — The O*NET database, maintained by the U.S. Department of Labor, provides occupation profiles and classification data.
• Official government websites — State .gov sites for application forms, fee schedules, statutes, and administrative rules.

Every guide page includes direct links to the relevant licensing board and source materials so readers can verify the information themselves.

Research Process

Each licensing guide goes through a structured research and publication process:

1. Data collection — A researcher identifies the governing licensing board for the profession and state, then systematically collects requirements, fees, procedures, and timelines from official sources.
2. Verification — All data points are cross-referenced against the original source documents. Where ambiguity exists, we consult the actual statutes, administrative codes, or contact the licensing board directly.
3. Structured compilation — Verified data is organized into a standardized format covering education requirements, exam details, application procedures, costs, renewal cycles, and reciprocity provisions.
4. Quality review — Before publication, each guide is reviewed for accuracy, completeness, and consistency with our editorial standards.
5. Source citation — All guides include citations and direct links to the primary sources used.

Update Frequency

Licensing requirements change as states update regulations, adjust fees, and modify exam protocols. We maintain our guides through:

• Quarterly reviews — At minimum, every guide is reviewed once per quarter to check for changes to requirements, fees, and procedures.
• Priority updates — When a state announces significant regulatory changes (new requirements, fee increases, exam changes), we prioritize updating the affected guides ahead of the regular review cycle.
• Annual data refresh — Salary data is updated annually when the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases new Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.

Each guide displays a "last updated" date so readers know when the information was most recently verified.

Corrections Policy

Despite our rigorous process, errors can occur — especially given how frequently licensing requirements change. When an error is identified:

1. Investigation — We verify the reported error against current source documents from the relevant licensing board.
2. Correction — Confirmed errors are corrected as quickly as possible, typically within 1-2 business days.
3. Transparency — The guide's "last updated" date is revised to reflect the correction.

We encourage readers to report errors by emailing contact@howtogetlicensed.com with "Error Report" in the subject line, or by visiting our contact page. Please include the page URL, the incorrect information, and the correct information with its source if available.

Editorial Independence

Our editorial content is produced independently and is not influenced by advertisers, affiliate partners, or any commercial relationship. Specifically:

• Licensing requirements, fees, and procedures are reported as they exist — we do not alter content to favor any education provider or service.
• The presence or absence of an affiliate relationship has no effect on which providers, programs, or resources we mention in our guides.
• Advertisers have no input into, review of, or approval over our editorial content.
• Our recommendations are based solely on relevance to the licensing process described on each page.

Affiliate Disclosure

Some pages on HowToGetLicensed.com contain affiliate links to education providers, training programs, and exam preparation services. Here is how our affiliate program works:

• What are affiliate links? — When you click an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. This helps support the ongoing operation of this site.
• Clear identification — Pages that contain affiliate links include a disclosure notice so readers know before they click.
• No influence on content — Affiliate relationships do not determine which providers we feature, the order in which they appear, or the editorial assessment of any program. Our content is researched and written independently of any affiliate arrangement.
• Relevance requirement — We only include affiliate links to programs and services that are directly relevant to the licensing path described on that page.

For more details on how we handle advertising and data collection, see our Privacy Policy.