Editorial Policy

Last updated: 2026-04-23

JPick (jpick.jp, operated by TH Quest) is a data-first analytics publication covering the J.League. This page documents the JPick Editorial Team’s editorial stance, data handling, AI-use disclosure, and corrections policy.

1. Editorial Stance

We do not speak of tactics (subjective). We report only the facts shown by data (objective).

We do not publish opinion pieces. We provide facts readable from match results and player data, and statistical interpretations of those facts. We do not make predictions about future outcomes (title races, MVP forecasts, relegation calls).

Our audience is J.League fans who may or may not be familiar with sports statistics. We aim for high-school graduate readability (Flesch-Kincaid Grade 10–12) without compromising analytical precision.

2. Editorial Team

All articles are attributed to JPick Editorial Team. We do not publish individual bylines. Editorial responsibility lies with the operator, TH Quest.

Contact for questions or corrections: hello@thquest.jp.

3. Data Sources

We use the following data sources across articles:

  • API-Football (official documentation) — primary source for match results, player statistics, xG, formations, and substitution records
  • J.League official — reference for fixtures, player registrations, and match operations
  • JPick proprietary calculations — Player Impact (in-team influence), JPick Edge (breakout-candidate score), Form Score, streak indicators

External sources and proprietary indicators are disclosed with URLs in each article’s References section.

4. Article Types

JPick Lab articles fall into four categories:

  • Methodology — explainers for indicators (xG, Player Impact, etc.). Time-neutral evergreen articles
  • Analysis — snapshot articles analyzing data at a specific point in the season. Not updated after publication (point-in-time archive)
  • Preview — previews of notable J.League fixtures, published as pre-match reading
  • Recap — season wrap-ups. Intended for long-term evergreen reference

5. Review Process

Every article goes through a three-stage review before publication:

  • First draft: an AI (Claude) generates the draft from a template and data
  • AI review: a separate AI (Gemini) fact-checks, screens for hallucinations, and audits tone consistency
  • Human self-review: editorial team runs the checklist and confirms the draft. A human always verifies that every reference URL is live and non-paywalled

Japanese and English versions are reviewed independently. Main claims, figures, and rankings are confirmed to match across both languages.

6. AI Use Disclosure

JPick articles are produced with AI assistance. Specifically, we use AI for:

  • Organizing aggregated data into article structure
  • Drafting the first version and translating between Japanese and English
  • Fact-checking with a separate AI system

However, every number, team name, player name, and date in our articles is sourced from JPick’s database. To guard against AI hallucinations (plausible-sounding but incorrect information), we run integrity checks at multiple stages.

Editorial team explicitly marks areas where data cannot speak as “outside the scope of this article,” rather than speculating.

7. No Forecasts

JPick is an insight app, not a prediction app. Our editorial articles do not forecast final standings, MVP results, top-scorer winners, or promotion / relegation outcomes. Instead, we organize what the current data shows and which angles a reader can watch in upcoming matches to observe more.

8. Images and Logos

JPick does not use club logos or player photographs in articles or web pages. We use team-color palettes, numbers, and charts for visual representation. This is a permanent editorial policy for copyright and likeness-right reasons.

9. Corrections Policy

When we find an error in an article (including via reader reports to hello@thquest.jp), we correct it using one of the following approaches:

  • Minor factual errors (e.g. number transpositions): article updated, with a “Correction History” note at the bottom listing the date and change
  • Significant factual errors or misleading interpretations: correction notice placed at the top of the article, with the affected passage amended
  • Retraction warranted: article withdrawn and a corrections notice page explains the reason

Snapshot articles (Analysis category) are preserved as “records based on the data at time of publication,“ so article bodies are not updated when underlying data changes later. If a correction in the data source reveals that the original publication was itself wrong, the process above applies.

10. Policy Updates

We update this policy as JPick’s operations and industry practices evolve. For material changes we update the “Last updated” date at the top of this page and note the main changes.