National Hearing Institute is editorially independent: no paid placements, no pre-publication review by manufacturers, and clear affiliate disclosures wherever they apply. Health and regulatory claims are sourced to the FDA, NIDCD, WHO, and peer-reviewed publications. All published content is reviewed by Editor-in-Chief Dr Jeffrey Smith, AuD before publication.
Independence
National Hearing Institute does not accept payment, free product, or compensation of any kind in exchange for editorial coverage, rankings, or favorable mention. No manufacturer, retailer, or third party reviews our copy prior to publication.
Affiliate & commercial disclosures
If National Hearing Institute earns a commission when a reader buys a product through a link on this site, that fact is disclosed plainly at the top of the page where the link appears. Affiliate or commercial relationships, where they exist, never influence:
- Which products or categories we cover.
- The scoring rubric used in our methodology.
- The substance of editorial conclusions.
Pages without an affiliate disclosure carry no affiliate links.
Sourcing standards
Health, regulatory, and safety claims on this site reference public, citable sources — usually the FDA, NIDCD/NIH, WHO, or peer-reviewed publications. Specific sources are listed at the bottom of articles where they are referenced.
We avoid:
- Citing a brand's own marketing copy as a clinical source.
- Quoting clinical studies out of context to support a buying conclusion.
- Inflating individual studies into general consensus claims.
Review process
Articles that include health, regulatory, or safety claims are reviewed against the underlying sources before publication by our Editor-in-Chief, Dr Jeffrey Smith, AuD, a licensed audiologist with a clinical practice background in adult and geriatric audiology. Our Editor-in-Chief reviews:
- Whether each health or regulatory claim traces to a specific, citable primary source (FDA, NIDCD, WHO, or peer-reviewed publication).
- Whether claims about hearing technology accurately describe what the device or category actually does.
- Whether the article correctly identifies the situations in which a reader should see a clinician rather than rely on a consumer device.
- Whether the article avoids over-claiming individual study results as general consensus.
Articles default to institutional bylines (“National Hearing Institute editorial team, reviewed by Dr Jeffrey Smith, AuD”) because we publish across a range of authors but apply a single, audiologist-led review standard. Readers who need clinical guidance for their own hearing should consult a licensed audiologist in person — our editorial review is not a substitute for individual clinical care.
Corrections policy
If you believe something on this site is inaccurate, write to editor@nationalhearinginstitute.org. Our process:
- We acknowledge the report within five business days.
- We re-check the claim against its source.
- If the claim is wrong, we correct the page promptly and add a dated correction note where the original claim appeared.
- If the claim is correct as written but we agree it is unclear, we revise for clarity and note the revision.
What we do not do
- We do not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment guidance.
- We do not interpret individual audiograms.
- We do not recommend specific devices to specific individuals based on their personal hearing history.
- We do not pay for, solicit, or amplify user reviews of any product.
AI & editorial production
National Hearing Institute uses standard publishing tools, including software that assists with drafting and editing. All published content is reviewed before publication by a human editor against the sourcing standards above. We do not publish content that has not been reviewed by a human.
Privacy
National Hearing Institute is an editorial site. We do not require a reader account, do not sell reader data, and do not display behavioral advertising on the site.