Is this quit-smoking article still up to date?

01

A real page with more than one date

At our 1 October 2026 check, NCCIH’s Spanish page on evaluating online resources displayed a July 2013 content update and September 2013 translation, while its site footer displayed 30 September 2026. Those labels refer to different things; the footer does not document a 2026 review of the article’s evidence.

This is a date-reading example, not a verdict that every statement on that page is wrong. To verify a particular service, account-verification rule or recommendation, follow its cited original source and check that fact. Do not substitute the newest date visible anywhere on the page.

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02

An update title can still contain an earlier evidence cutoff

The SRNT biochemical-verification paper is titled a ‘2019 Update’, appeared in its 2020 journal issue and states that its literature review ran through the end of 2018. These dates can coexist without contradiction. Opening the author manuscript today does not extend that search to today.

When an article calls something ‘the latest evidence’, ask which source version, search end date and later updates it considered. The dates alone do not tell you that a method is wrong, or that a newer clinical recommendation follows from it.

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03

Recheck the facts most likely to affect the next action

An explanation of a research denominator is a different kind of claim from a service’s current opening hours or eligibility. For contact details, costs and access rules, use the current local provider. For clinical recommendations, check the responsible guideline body’s current version and ask a qualified professional about personal care.

For example, the NHS directory here concerns Stop Smoking Services in England, not automatic availability throughout the UK or abroad. Confirm the chosen service’s current arrangements before travelling. IQWiG also describes checking its information on a regular cycle and earlier when a reason, such as a medicines safety warning, arises; this is its policy, not a universal expiry period for every health article.

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04

A short check you can actually complete

Our editorial reading method: write the public claim in one sentence; open the cited original; find the passage and its population, setting and limitations; record the version and date labels; then look on the issuing organisation’s site for a correction, withdrawal or successor. If you cannot establish one step, say what remains unverified.

For a headline percentage, inspect the result and methods rather than a news summary. For a contact detail, inspect the provider’s current service page. You can ask the author ‘Which version supports this sentence?’ without sending your smoking history, quit date or medical records. Evidence checking is not an individual treatment assessment.

[1][2]

05

What to keep in mind

• A recent access check is not a new publication or evidence search.
• Verify the exact sentence, not merely that its link opens.
• An old date prompts a targeted check; it does not prove every statement false.

06

Common questions