This page explains how The Desk Brief decides what to cover, how articles get researched, and where the money comes from. It exists because you should be able to check our incentives before trusting our recommendations.
How topics get chosen
We cover desk setups, home office gear, workspace technology, and the tools that make working from a desk better. A topic makes the cut when it answers a question real people are asking, when we can add something beyond what the manufacturer’s press release says, and when we can verify the facts from at least two independent sources. Nobody pays to be covered, and nobody pays to be covered favourably.
Sourcing standards
Every price, spec, benchmark, and measurement in our articles comes from a named source: the manufacturer’s official documentation, or independent testing from outlets we trust and link to. When we haven’t personally used a product, we say so plainly. You will never see “we tested” or “in our experience” attached to a product we haven’t touched. Measurements from other outlets are attributed to them by name.
Honest negatives
Every product we cover gets its drawbacks stated with specifics. If the cheaper option is the right call, we say that, even when the expensive option would earn us a bigger commission. A recommendation you can’t trust to be negative is not a recommendation.
Affiliate links and independence
Some articles contain affiliate links, which pay us a small commission if you buy something, at no extra cost to you. Affiliate programs never decide what we recommend. We write the recommendation first and add links after. There are no paid placements and no sponsored posts on this site. If that ever changes, sponsored content will be labelled at the top of the article. Full details are on our affiliate disclosure page.
How articles get made
The Desk Brief uses modern software tools, including AI systems, for research, drafting, chart generation, and quality checks. Every article is held to the same standard regardless of how it was produced: verifiable facts from cited sources, no invented numbers, no fake testing claims, and clear attribution. When an article falls short of that standard, we correct it under our corrections policy.
Updates
Prices change, products get discontinued, and better options appear. When an article’s core facts go stale, we either update it or say clearly that it reflects a point in time. Questions about any of this? Reach us through the contact page.