Standards
Editorial policy
How the content on this site is produced, sourced, reviewed and corrected.
Who is responsible
All content on calculatesteps.com is written and edited by Michael Sally, who is responsible for its accuracy. There is no anonymous or ghost-written material on the site.
Sourcing
Health and research claims are sourced to published, peer-reviewed literature, and the specific study is named and linked so you can read it yourself. Where a body of research disagrees, the page says so rather than presenting one finding as settled.
Distance and terrain figures on route pages come from mapping data and published route information. Where a figure is an estimate or an adjustment, the page states the basis for it.
Historical material is drawn from published accounts. Where a widely repeated story is doubtful — that Napoleon's troops damaged the Sphinx, that the Great Wall is visible from space, that Jefferson invented the pedometer — the page says it is doubtful. Correcting a good story is more useful than repeating it.
What this site does not do
- No medical advice. Articles summarise published research on physical activity. They are not a substitute for advice from a qualified clinician, and they do not diagnose, treat, or make individual recommendations. If you have a health concern, speak to a professional.
- No invented figures. Numbers on this site come from a stated source or a stated calculation. Where a figure is uncertain, it is given as a range.
- No advertiser influence. Advertising is served programmatically through Google AdSense. Advertisers do not see, commission, review or influence content.
- No affiliate links. There are no monetised product links on this site. Outbound links point to sources.
Accuracy and estimates
Step counts are estimates. Stride length varies between individuals by more than 25 per cent, and it varies within an individual with pace, gradient and surface. Every step figure on this site should be read as approximate, and the methodology page sets out exactly how each one is produced and where it is likely to be wrong.
Corrections
If something here is wrong, it gets fixed. Send the page, the claim and, if you have it, the source, through the contact page. Substantive corrections — anything that changes a figure or a factual claim — are made to the page and the last-updated date is revised. Typographical fixes are made silently.
Review schedule
Pages carry a last-updated date. Research-based articles are reviewed when relevant new evidence is published. Route pages are reviewed when route conditions change, for example when a path closes or an access arrangement is altered.
Use of AI tools
Drafting and editing tools, including AI assistants, are used in producing this site. Every published figure, source and factual claim is checked by a person before publication, and responsibility for what appears here rests with the named author, not with any tool used along the way.