How We Research & Review

1. Who writes CreatineBuzz

CreatineBuzz Editorial is the small independent team behind the site, based in Ontario, Canada. We cover one supplement, creatine, for the readers the gym aisle ignored for 30 years: women starting out, women over 40, and women over 50.

What that means in practice:

• No white coats. We are not physicians, pharmacists, or registered dietitians, and no page is dressed up to look like it was written by one.
• A human signs off. A human reviewer checks every page before it goes live. We do not publish reviewer names or credentials yet. When a credentialed reviewer signs a specific page, their real name, credentials, and review date will appear on that page and nowhere else.
• Nothing invented. No made-up experts, credentials, testimonials, or partner logos. Ever.

We use software, including AI-assisted research and drafting tools, to work faster. A human editor checks every published claim against its cited source and owns what goes live.

2. What sources we use

Not all evidence weighs the same. Here is our pecking order, strongest first:

1. Systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and expert position stands. These pool dozens of trials at once. Examples we lean on: the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) position stand on creatine safety and efficacy (Kreider et al., 2017), the ISSN's myth-busting review of common creatine questions (Antonio et al., 2021), and a review of creatine across a woman's lifespan (Smith-Ryan et al., 2021).
2. Randomized controlled trials in humans. Gold star if they include women, and women in the age group the page is about.
3. Observational and smaller human studies. Useful for spotting patterns. They cannot prove cause and effect, and we say so every time.
4. Animal, cell, and mechanism research. Used only to explain how something might work, and always labeled as non-human evidence.
5. Regulators and public bodies. Health Canada's Natural Health Products monographs, the U.S. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for approved claims, label rules, and safety guidance.
6. Certification databases. NSF Certified for Sport and Informed Sport, to confirm a product's certification on the day we checked. Our certification guide explains what each seal does and does not prove.

What never counts as evidence: brand marketing, press releases without data, influencer claims, anonymous reviews, and anecdotes. We sometimes mention them to explain where a myth came from. They never back up a claim.

Who paid for the study: when a trial we rely on was funded by a supplement maker, or written by authors with industry ties, we flag it wherever it could change how you read the result.

3. How we cite and describe evidence

• Numbers get a link. Doses, outcomes, and safety claims link to the primary study or review, by DOI or PubMed, never to another blog.
• We tell you who was studied. Sex, age, training status, sample size, dose, and duration all change what a result means for you. If a finding only exists in young men, you will read that sentence on the page.
• Our words match the evidence. "Strong evidence shows" is reserved for results repeated across many trials. "Early research suggests" means exactly that. Thin, mixed, or missing evidence gets called thin, mixed, or missing.
• No cure talk. Creatine is a supplement. We never claim it treats, cures, or prevents a disease.
• Sources sit at the bottom of every article, so checking our work takes one scroll.

4. How an article gets made

1. Start with a real question. Search data, reader emails, and comments tell us what people actually ask. The answer goes at the top of the page, in two or three sentences.
2. Gather the research. Reviews and human trials first, using the pecking order above.
3. Write it plain. Every technical term gets translated where it appears. Pages include a "what we don't know yet" section wherever the evidence has gaps.
4. Check every claim. Before publishing, an editor checks each number, dose, and finding against its cited source.
5. Flag the medical cases. Pages that touch pregnancy, breastfeeding, medications, kidney health, or any medical condition tell you to talk to your doctor first.
6. Date it. Every article shows its byline and the date it last changed.

5. How we grade products

Products get scored on a published rubric: label transparency, creatine form, third-party certification, price per serving, and the manufacturer's track record. The full scoring sheet lives on How We Compare Creatine. When a brand quietly changes a formula, it goes in our formulation change log.

Nobody can buy a grade here. We do not trade good scores for free product. If a brand sends us something, the review says so, and the score stays the same.

6. How we keep pages current

• Scheduled checks: health and dosing guides get re-checked at least every 12 months. Buying guides and reviews get re-checked at least every 6 months, because formulas and certifications change faster than the science.
• Breaking-news checks: a major new study, position stand, regulatory action, recall, or label change triggers an update sooner.
• Honest dates: "Last updated" only changes for real changes: new evidence, a changed recommendation, or a fixed fact. A typo fix does not reset the date.
• Visible changes: if an update changes a recommendation, a dated note at the end of the article says what changed.

7. Corrections policy

Spot a mistake? We want to hear it, and we fix things in the open.

• How to report it: email hello@creatinebuzz.com with the page link, what looks wrong, and a link to a study or official source if you have one. Reports with a source jump the queue.
• What happens next: we aim to reply within 5 business days, then check your report against the evidence.
• How we fix it: factual errors get corrected on the page, with a dated correction note at the end saying what changed. Typos and broken links get fixed quietly.
• Serious errors first: if a mistake could affect a health decision, like a wrong dose or a missing safety warning, it gets fixed first and flagged at the top of the article.

8. Affiliate links and independence

CreatineBuzz is reader-supported. Here is exactly how the money works:

• Amazon Associates: CreatineBuzz is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. Click a "Check price on Amazon" link, buy something, and Amazon may pay us a small commission. Your price stays the same. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
• Every affiliate link is labeled. In our code they carry rel="sponsored nofollow", and every page with affiliate links shows a disclosure.
• The rubric picks first. Products are graded before we look at where to buy them. A higher commission never moves a product up, and we will recommend a tub that earns us nothing if it is the better buy.
• Live prices live at the retailer. We show price-per-serving math so you can compare tubs fairly. The retailer always has the current price.
• Sponsors, if they come: any future sponsor or advertiser gets a clear label on the page. No sponsor, advertiser, or partner can buy, change, or hide a grade or test result. The rules for brands are on our advertise page.

The fine print is on our affiliate disclosure page.

9. Medical disclaimer

CreatineBuzz explains research. It is not medical advice, and it does not replace a conversation with your own health professional. Studies describe groups of people, and your body may respond differently. Talk to your doctor, pharmacist, or registered dietitian before starting creatine, especially if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have kidney or liver disease or another medical condition, take prescription medication, or are under 18. For an urgent health concern, contact a medical professional or emergency services.

10. Contact us

• Corrections and evidence questions: hello@creatinebuzz.com
• Everything else: our contact page has the details.

Want to see these rules at work? Start with the research hub, the product reviews, or the About page.

Page last updated: October 9, 2026. CreatineBuzz Editorial.