Disclosure Policy

Validation neutrality

Market Proof Lab's validation conclusions are only useful if readers can independently assess whether commercial relationships, financial arrangements, or personal affiliations may have influenced them. Validation neutrality is the operating condition we maintain by default, and disclosure is the mechanism by which readers can verify that condition or identify where it may be under pressure.

This policy requires disclosure in four categories. First, when a covered organization paid for, subsidized, or otherwise materially supported the research or validation output in which it appears. Second, when documentation or evidence submitted by an interested party was used in forming a validation conclusion. Third, when any researcher or named contributor holds employment, advisory, investment, client, or other relationships with a covered organization relevant to their scope of work. Fourth, when any commercial arrangement — whether or not it directly implicates the covered organization — could reasonably affect validation conclusions on that page.

Market Proof Lab does not treat disclosure as a substitute for editorial integrity. Where a conflict cannot be adequately disclosed or managed, the research is reassigned or withheld. Disclosure resolves the reader's need to know; it does not resolve the conflict itself in cases where that conflict would undermine the independence of a validation conclusion.

Current commercial relationship status

As of June 2026, Market Proof Lab has no active commercial relationships with any organization covered in its proof reports, validation frameworks, or market signal analyses. No covered organization has paid for, subsidized, sponsored, or otherwise materially supported any published Market Proof Lab output. No covered organization has received advance editorial access, approval rights, or preferential treatment of any kind.

This status is maintained on this page and updated whenever the situation changes. Readers may rely on the date of this page's last review as the reference point for this representation. If a commercial relationship were established, it would be disclosed on this page and at the top of every affected publication before any content involving that organization were published or updated.

Commercial relationships

Pay-to-validate is prohibited. No organization may purchase a favorable validation conclusion, an improved proof classification, a positive evidence rating, or any other form of preferential treatment in Market Proof Lab research. Organizations that inquire about purchasing favorable conclusions are declined. Repeat inquiries are documented.

Market Proof Lab may in the future enter advertising or sponsorship arrangements with organizations that operate in categories we cover. These arrangements would be permissible only under strict conditions: the arrangement is disclosed on every page it affects; the covered organization has no editorial input into validation conclusions on that page; and the disclosure is dated, specific, and identifies the nature of the arrangement by name.

A material commercial relationship is defined as any arrangement in which Market Proof Lab receives financial consideration from, or provides financial consideration to, an organization in exchange for services, placement, validation access, or endorsement. This includes display advertising, content sponsorship, licensing arrangements, and research contracts. It does not include standard press release distribution services available to all organizations at uniform rates, or publicly priced conference registrations.

Market Proof Lab's intended primary revenue model is research licensing and access subscription. This model is intentional: subscription revenue from readers creates accountability to readers, not to the organizations we validate. Any advertising or sponsorship revenue, if and when it arises, will be disclosed and ring-fenced from validation processes.

Submitted evidence

Organizations covered by Market Proof Lab research may submit documentation, technical specifications, compliance certifications, corrections, or other evidence for editorial consideration. Submission is an open channel. Market Proof Lab reviews submitted materials because primary-source evidence from a subject organization is often the most accurate available, and because organizations have a legitimate interest in ensuring factual accuracy in research that affects their standing.

Submission does not guarantee coverage, inclusion, or favorable validation conclusions. The decision to incorporate submitted materials is made according to the same proof standards applied to public-source research: evidence class, verifiability, and relevance to the validation question. Submitted materials that cannot be independently verified are noted as unverified in source disclosures.

When submitted materials are used in reaching a validation conclusion, the source is disclosed in the source notes of the relevant publication. The disclosure identifies the submitting organization and the nature of the material. Readers can therefore identify which conclusions rest in part on organization-supplied evidence.

A meaningful distinction applies between submitted corrections and submitted promotional materials. Corrections — factual disputes supported by verifiable documentation meeting the evidence class standards described in our editorial policy — are investigated and, where warranted, result in published corrections with a correction log entry. Promotional materials, including testimonials, unverified performance claims, and case study assertions without documentation, are not incorporated into validation conclusions regardless of source.

Sponsored validation research

Market Proof Lab may accept sponsored research assignments in which an organization commissions original validation research on a defined question or category. Sponsored research is a legitimate publication model when properly disclosed and editorially controlled. Sponsored validation research would be labeled prominently at the top of every page on which it appears, identifying the sponsoring organization by name and the nature of the sponsorship.

The sponsoring organization would not control validation conclusions. The sponsor would receive a factual review period prior to publication during which it may identify claims it believes are factually inaccurate and submit Class 1-3 supporting documentation. Market Proof Lab would evaluate factual disputes under the same proof standards applied to all research. The sponsor may not require that validation conclusions be altered to reflect favorably on the sponsor, on the sponsor's category, or on competitors the sponsor wishes to disadvantage.

If, at the conclusion of the editorial process, Market Proof Lab determines that accurate validation conclusions cannot be separated from requirements imposed by the sponsoring organization, the research will not be published. In that circumstance, the sponsorship contract is voided and the research is either archived or reassigned as independent research at Market Proof Lab's discretion.

How disclosures appear

Disclosures appear at the top of the affected page, below the headline and lede, before the body of the research. They are not placed in footnotes, appendices, or linked pages accessible only through secondary navigation. The disclosure block identifies the nature of the relationship, the organization involved, and the date the disclosure was added or last updated.

Pages carrying a "Sponsored" label are sponsored validation research as defined in the section above. Pages carrying a "Submitted Evidence" label incorporate materials provided directly by a covered organization. Multiple disclosure labels may appear on a single page where more than one condition applies.

Where a published page has been corrected, a correction history appears at the bottom of the page listing the date of correction, the nature of the error, and the correction made. Corrections are distinguished from updates: a correction addresses a factual error; an update reflects new information that postdates the original publication. Both are dated and logged.

Disclosure questions

Readers, organizations, or journalists with questions about this policy, questions about a specific disclosure, or reports of suspected undisclosed relationships are encouraged to contact the editorial team directly. Market Proof Lab investigates all credible reports of undisclosed conflicts or arrangements.

Contact: [email protected]

Disclosure inquiries are handled by the editorial team and are separate from advertising, licensing, and submission inquiries. Responses to disclosure questions are provided within five business days.