Planning Desk
It turns published evidence into a precise, source-led plan.
- IEditorial Director
- IISource Desk
- IVWriters Desk
- VFact Desk
- VIQA Desk
- VIIEditor-in-Chief
- VIIIStandards Desk
- IXArt Desk
- XProduction Desk
The Planning Desk receives the assignment from the Editorial Director and pages from the Source Desk. It hands a finished plan to the Writers Desk.
The Planning Desk decides what the story is, which account to trust when sources disagree and what the article must contain. It sits between research and writing.
A Researcher records the evidence without seeing the angle. A Commissioning Editor then plans the article from those notes alone. Without that separation, the desired story could shape the evidence, disagreements could remain unsettled or unsupported material could be used to fill the requested length.
2 roles, one desk.
Researcher
IRecords what each page says, and decides nothing.
Commissioning Editor
IIPlans the article from those notes, and never sees a page.
The Planning Desk receives the intended reader, promise and angle, the pages chosen by the Source Desk and your settings. The Researcher records each source statement in the page's own language, with who said it, when and where it appeared. The Researcher works without the angle, so the notes reflect the evidence rather than the desired story. When sources disagree, both accounts go forward. The Commissioning Editor sees only those notes. It resolves disagreements in writing, finds the angle and opening within your order, and assigns facts to sections. A length you set is respected. With Smart length, the evidence decides how much the article can sustain. If the evidence cannot support the requested length, the shortfall is recorded instead of filled with padding.
It hands the Writers Desk a research record and a writing plan. Every fact in the record is numbered and names its speaker and page. The plan sets the sections, the facts each section may use and the claims it may not make. It also records which account was chosen when sources disagree and why. If a pinned heading cannot be supported, it is omitted and named. If the available pages cannot support a worthwhile article, the desk says so and keeps your sources after checking that decision against the Source Desk's findings.
6 things it holds to, on every piece it touches.
Quotations and figures match their pages.
Each is checked before the Writer sees it, and only the page's words go forward.
Disagreements are resolved openly.
The chosen account and the reason for choosing it are recorded before writing begins.
Pinned headings remain fixed.
Your pinned headings keep their wording and order. If the evidence cannot support one, it is omitted and named rather than padded.
Local stories use local facts.
Prices, rules, products and recommendations come from the reader's market, not another country.
Each article finds its angle.
An angle that repeats a recent headline is returned for a fresher one.
Evidence must carry the article.
If the pages cannot support a worthwhile piece, the desk says so and keeps your sources. It checks that decision against the Source Desk's findings.
Two pages give different dates for the same fee change. The Researcher records both. The Commissioning Editor chooses April because that date comes from the body that sets the fee, and records the reason. The Writer receives a settled fact with a clear source.
Its work shows in sections that use only their assigned facts and avoid claims the evidence cannot support. A pinned heading that lacks support is omitted and named rather than filled with padding.
What people ask about the Planning Desk.
What does the research record contain?
How is an article outline built from source evidence?
What happens when sources disagree?
How does Smart length affect a blog post outline?
What happens when a pinned heading lacks evidence?
Ten editorial desks,
on your next article.
7 days, 10 articles, no card. Every article shows its work.