How to write a protocol that holds up.
Instructions.
6 stepsStep 1: Decide whether you’re ready to write one.
A useful protocol comes from a routine you have actually followed long enough to explain its steps, variations, and limits. Write from your own experience and state how long you ran it.
You can keep an early idea as a private draft while you continue running it. Publish when you can describe the routine accurately and answer reasonable questions about your own use.
“A routine is ready to share when you can explain what you did, what varied, and what remains uncertain.”
Contributor guide
Step 2: Write it the way you’d tell a friend.
Protocols read as field notes from one person to another. Use first-person language for what you did and observed. Include the duration and conditions that give the experience useful context.
Cite background reading separately from your firsthand account. Action steps should describe actions you actually followed. Label uncertainties and open questions plainly.
“Use first person for observed experience. Label sourced context and open questions separately.”
Contributor guide
Step 3: One action per step, in the order you do them.
Each step is a single discrete action a reader can repeat tomorrow morning. For example: “Put tomorrow’s first task at the top of your notebook.” Give each step a clear verb and object, then order the steps the way you actually do them. Record recurring timing in the timing field.
The body holds the action and any small how-to detail. Notes hold firsthand context, cautions, or variations you tried. Sources support specific factual claims.
“A concrete step starts with an action: 'Put tomorrow's first task at the top of your notebook.'”
Contributor guide
Step 4: Cite the claim, disclose the stake.
Link an authoritative or primary source for factual claims about outcomes, safety, research, or products. Keep personal observations in first-person language. Remove claims you cannot support.
If you sell, make, or have a financial stake in a product you recommend, disclose it on the product line. On protocol product recommendations you may link only to retailers on our approved list, and any affiliate link must be marked as such. Affiliate links are not allowed in community notes. See the community guidelines for the policy detail.
“Trace factual claims to an authoritative or primary source. Remove a claim when you cannot support it.”
Contributor guide
Step 5: Plan for field notes and community notes.
A field note is the one-sentence aside you add to a step from your own lived experience. For example: “I keep the notebook beside the door so I see it before leaving.” Use field notes sparingly on steps where you have specific context to share. They appear next to your name.
Everything else (corrections, suggestions, variations from other readers) flows through community notes in the margins. Additive, attributable, and visible to whoever runs the protocol after you.
“Use a field note for specific firsthand context that helps someone understand how you ran the step.”
Contributor guide
Step 6: Submit, then let it sharpen over time.
When you submit, the protocol goes through an automated check against the community guidelines (spam, fabricated experience, dangerous advice, and missing disclosures). Submissions that pass publish. Flagged submissions wait for human review, and review timing varies. MyProtocol does not verify scientific claims or promise outcomes. Creators remain responsible for their submissions.
Edits ship as new versions, so the revision history is preserved. Community notes accumulate in the margins. If someone catches a real error, edit the protocol, and consider thanking them in a field note.
“Treat a well-supported correction as a cue to publish a new version and explain what changed.”
Contributor guide
Frequently asked.
How does review work?
Every submission gets an automated check against the community guidelines (spam, fabricated experience, dangerous advice, and missing disclosures). Submissions that pass publish. Flagged submissions wait for human review, and review timing varies. MyProtocol does not verify scientific claims or promise outcomes.
Can I edit the protocol after submitting?
Yes. Edits ship as new versions, so the revision history is preserved. Readers can see what changed and when.
What if someone leaves a community note I disagree with?
Read it and evaluate the support it provides. If it identifies an error, publish a corrected version and consider acknowledging the note. A note can remain visible alongside the creator's protocol.
Can I include affiliate links?
Protocol product recommendations may link only to retailers on our approved list, and each affiliate link must be marked as such. Affiliate links are not allowed in community notes. Disclose any financial stake on the product line.
Do I need a medical or scientific background?
A medical or scientific background is not required. Share only routines you have actually followed, describe your experience precisely, and cite factual claims.
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