Corrections Policy
On a chemistry site, a wrong number is a broken promise. Here’s exactly how we find, fix and disclose errors — and how you can help.
Effective date: September 1, 2026
🔑 THE SHORT VERSION
Found an error? Email or WhatsApp us with the page link and details. We acknowledge within 24–48 hours, verify against primary sources, and fix confirmed errors fast — calculation errors get top priority and are usually fixed within 24 hours of confirmation. Significant corrections are disclosed transparently. Error reporters have our genuine gratitude.
📑 Table of Contents (click to expand)
1. Our Commitment
MolecularWeightCalculator.org is used by students before exams and professionals before experiments. That means our tolerance for published errors is zero — and our response when one is found must be fast, honest and documented.
This policy covers everything on the Site: every calculator (current and future), every article, table, worked example and guide. It works hand-in-hand with our Editorial Policy, which describes how we prevent errors in the first place.
Three promises:
- We never ignore a credible error report;
- We never quietly bury a significant mistake;
- We never shoot the messenger — error reporters get thanks, not defensiveness.
2. Types of Errors & How Fast We Fix Them
| Severity | Examples | Target Fix Time* |
|---|---|---|
| 🔴 Critical — calculation errors | A tool returning a wrong molar mass, conversion or recipe; wrong atomic mass in our dataset | Within 24 hours of confirmation — tool may be temporarily disabled if needed |
| 🟠 Major — factual content errors | Wrong value in an article or table; incorrect formula in a worked example; misleading explanation | Within 1–3 business days of confirmation |
| 🔵 Minor — clarity & presentation | Confusing wording, ambiguous phrasing, broken links, display glitches | Within 1 week |
| ⚪ Trivial — typos | Spelling, grammar, formatting slips that don’t affect meaning | Next scheduled content review |
*Measured from the moment we confirm the error, not from first report — verification against primary sources comes first (see Section 4).
3. How to Report an Error
Anyone can report an error — no account, no form-filling bureaucracy. To help us fix it fast, please include:
- The page URL where you found the error;
- What’s wrong — quote the exact text or describe the calculation (for tool errors: the exact formula you entered, the mode used, the result you got, and the result you expected);
- Why you believe it’s wrong — a source is gold (IUPAC, NIST, PubChem, a textbook), but “my hand calculation differs” is also a perfectly good report;
- Optional: your name, if you’d like credit when we fix it.
Send it to contact@molecularweightcalculator.org with subject “Error Report”, or WhatsApp us at 0348-1644838 — whichever is easier.
4. What Happens After You Report
- Acknowledgment (24–48 hours): we confirm we’ve received your report;
- Verification: we check the claim against primary sources — IUPAC data, NIST, PubChem — and re-run any disputed calculation independently;
- Decision: if confirmed, the fix is scheduled per the severity table above; if not confirmed, we reply explaining what we found (sometimes the “error” is a subtlety worth clarifying in the article anyway);
- Fix & re-test: for tool errors, the fix must pass our full reference test suite before going live;
- Close the loop: if you left contact details, we tell you the outcome.
5. How Corrections Are Disclosed
Transparency scales with impact:
- Critical & major corrections: a visible correction note is added to the affected page (e.g. “Correction: an earlier version of this table listed X; the correct value is Y”), and the page’s dating is updated;
- Minor fixes: content is updated and the page’s dating reflects the change;
- Trivial typos: fixed silently — a spelling fix needs no ceremony;
- We never delete a page to hide a mistake in it.
6. Tool Bugs vs Content Errors
Both get fixed — but tool bugs get special handling because users act on tool outputs:
- A confirmed calculation bug is treated as critical by default, even if rare or edge-case;
- If a fix needs time, we prefer temporarily disabling the affected mode over letting it produce wrong numbers;
- After any tool fix, the complete reference compound test suite (water, glucose, hydrates, bracketed complexes and more) is re-run before deployment — per our Editorial Policy;
- Display-only glitches (styling, layout) are handled as minor issues since they don’t affect results.
7. When the Data Itself Changes (IUPAC Revisions)
IUPAC periodically revises standard atomic weights as measurement science improves. When that happens:
- We review the revision and update our dataset;
- Affected reference tables in articles are updated to match;
- This is a data update, not a correction — the old values weren’t errors, they were the best science of their time. We label such changes accordingly.
8. What Doesn’t Count as an Error
- Rounding differences within the precision we state (~4 significant figures);
- Textbook discrepancies caused by older atomic weight tables (see Section 7);
- Average vs isotopic mass: our tools use standard average atomic weights — mass-spectrometry-grade isotopic masses differing from our output is expected behavior, and we say so in our Disclaimer;
- Input mistakes: CO vs Co, a missing hydrate, a misplaced parenthesis — the tool answered the question that was actually asked. That said, if many users make the same input mistake, we treat it as a design improvement opportunity and consider better warnings.
9. Credit for Error Reporters
People who improve the Site deserve recognition:
- With your permission, significant correction notes can credit you by name (or initials);
- Prefer anonymity? Completely fine — just say so;
- Repeat helpful reporters have shaped real features here. Our batch comparison mode exists because users asked for it — the same door is open for your ideas.
10. Report an Error Now
Corrections Desk
MolecularWeightCalculator.org
Subject: “Error Report” — acknowledged within 24–48 hours. Or use our Contact page.