Editorial Guidelines

EXD — Energy by Design is a digital news publication at exd.news. We cover the clean-energy transition and the built world as one connected story: how India generates, stores and moves energy, and how it designs and builds the places that use it.

India is at the centre of the world's largest energy transition: a 500 GW non-fossil capacity target for 2030, rooftop solar going to millions of homes, and a whole built environment being rethought. EXD exists to cover that change with the depth and rigour it deserves. We report on MNRE policy, SECI tenders, state solar parks, Indian developers and global architecture with the same care, and we explain what each announcement means for India's energy future and built environment.

How to use this document

• Sections 2–8 cover writing and publishing a story. Sections 9–10 cover commercial and inbound material. Section 11 covers social distribution. Sections 12–13 cover ethics and corrections.
• The final page is a quick-reference checklist. Run through it before every story goes live.
• If something isn't covered here, follow what exd.news already does, then ask the Editor. If an existing story breaks these rules, update it the next time it is edited.

Our promise to readers

We attribute every fact to its source. We never publish without credit. When we analyse someone else's material, we link to the original so architects, energy professionals and policymakers can read further. Editorial coverage is never for sale. Anything a brand has paid for is labelled as paid.

EXD should sound like a well-informed industry analyst explaining a development to a smart colleague: authoritative, analytical, easy to follow, India-first and free of hype.

Voice checks

Each story goes into one primary category, which appears as the label above the headline on exd.news. Use only the categories the site already uses.

The homepage currently has sections for Solar, Renewable, Architecture, Design and Mobility. The footer also lists Urbanism and Interiors. The Write for Us page groups contributor pitches under Architecture & Design, Solar & Renewables, Sustainability, and Opinion & Essay.

Choosing the category and topic tags

• Choose the category by the main subject, not by the India angle. A Bihar storage PPA goes in Renewable. A battery-financing deal goes in Solar if the assets are mainly solar-linked, otherwise Renewable.
• Add topic tags from the site's existing list wherever one fits: Solar Energy India, Renewable Power, MNRE Policy, SECI Tenders, India 500 GW Target, Energy Storage, EV Mobility, Wind Energy, Green Buildings, Sustainable Architecture, Urban Design, Smart Cities, Clean Technology, Net Zero India, Circular Economy.
• Sustainability runs through every category. It is a lens, not a separate bin.

What we don't cover

We don't publish stories with no energy, design or built-environment angle. We don't publish stock tips or investment advice. We don't publish unverified rumours or promotional copy dressed up as news.

The EXD headline formula is a news hook, then a colon, then the India angle. The hook says what happened. The part after the colon says why India should care.

[News hook]: What It Means for India

Examples based on exd.news headlines, with the wording after the colon lightly edited where needed for grammar:

Bihar Approves 300 MW Solar-Plus-Storage Deal: What It Means for Renewable Energy in India

Build Less, Build Better: What Sustainable Architecture Means for India in 2026

Battery Storage Financing Hits $930 Million: What India's Clean Energy Sector Must Learn Now

XCMG's Cabinless Electric Tractor: What It Means for India's Ports

Headline rules

• Title Case on the site, as currently used. Aim for 60–90 characters, with the hook in the first 40.
• Put the number in the hook wherever there is one (300 MW, $930 Million, 12 GWh). Numbers draw readers and help search.
• The India angle must be grammatical. Write "for Electric Mobility in India" or "for India's EV Market", not "for Electric Mobility India". Keywords belong in meta fields, not in awkward headline wording.
• Use the colon formula on most stories, but vary the wording after it ("What It Means for India", "Lessons for India", "What India Must Learn Now", "Can Execution Keep Pace?") so the homepage doesn't read like a template.
• No clickbait, no all-caps and no exclamation marks. A question headline must be answered in the story.
• The headline has to match the facts. If the deal is "approved", don't write "signed". If it is "proposed", don't write "approved".

Standfirst (dek)

One sentence of 20–35 words under the headline. It carries the key fact the headline left out, such as "BERC clears 300 MW of solar with a 150 MW/600 MWh battery system through NHPC under a 25-year PPA". It's often reused as the summary line on the social creative.

SEO and search fields

A standard EXD Editorial analysis runs to about 1,000–1,300 words, including Key Facts and FAQs. It follows the same order every time, so readers always know where to find the India analysis and what to watch next.

Other formats

Contributor formats follow the Write for Us page: Features 800–1,500 words, Opinion 600–1,000 words, News analysis 400–700 words. Opinion pieces are labelled as opinion and keep the India-relevance and Watch next endings where they fit.

Every fact comes from a source we can name and link to. If we can't verify it, we don't publish it.

6.1 Source hierarchy

1. Primary: regulator orders (CERC, SERCs), ministry and agency releases (MNRE, MoP, BEE, CEA, SECI, NITI Aayog), company filings and stock exchange disclosures, the company's own press release, the architect's or studio's own project material, peer-reviewed studies.
2. Reputable secondary: established trade and news outlets. Use them only to corroborate a primary source, and credit them when we rely on them.
3. Not acceptable on their own: aggregators, unsourced social posts, AI summaries, forums, and outlets that copy press releases without attribution.

6.2 Attribution rules

• Attribute every figure in the text: "according to BERC's order", "the company said", "MNRE data show". Projections and targets are always attributed ("the government projects…").
• Link to the original source the first time it's mentioned, and list it again under Sources.
• When EXD analyses material from a third party, say so and credit the third party. Never present someone else's reporting as our own.
• Use estimates ("roughly", "approximately", "more than") only when the source does.

6.3 Quotes

• Never make up a quote, and never paraphrase something into quotation marks. Put words in quotes only if the person or organisation actually said or wrote them, and name where they did (release, interview, filing, event).
• Quotes from press releases are attributed as such ("said in a statement").
• You can trim a quote for length with an ellipsis, but don't change its meaning. Translations are marked as translations.

6.4 Verification checklist

• Check each number against the primary source: capacity (MW against MWh), currency, year and units.
• Check dates against today. Don't call a past year's policy "expected in 2025" in a 2026 story. Update scheme names too (FAME-II became PM E-DRIVE). If a scheme's status is unclear, say so.
• Spell company and people's names exactly as the official source does: Pérez Palacios Arquitectos Asociados, NHPC Limited, Mahindra Electric.
• Superlatives ("largest", "first") need a source, or a qualifier such as "one of the largest… by an eastern Indian state regulator".
• If a fact can't be checked before deadline, cut it or clearly label it as unconfirmed. Don't guess.

EXD writes in Indian/British English. Where the site already has a settled usage, follow it.

Names and titles

Give the full name and role on first mention, then the surname only. Company names follow the company's own styling, without "Ltd" in running text unless it's needed to tell entities apart. EXD is written in capitals. On first mention it is "EXD — Energy by Design", then "EXD". The website is written "exd.news" in lower case.

Every image needs a known source and permission to use it, and every image is credited.

8.1 Permitted sources

• Official press and media-kit images from the company, studio or agency the story is about, credited as they ask (for example "Image: PPAA / photographer name").
• Images supplied by brands or contributors with confirmed permission. Contributor images should be at least 2,000 px wide and come with a caption, photographer credit and permission status, as the Write for Us page asks.
• Properly licensed stock or Creative Commons images, used under the licence terms and credited as the licence requires.
• EXD's own photography and graphics, credited "EXD".

8.2 Not permitted

• Images taken from other publications, social media or search results without permission.
• Edits that change what an image shows, such as adding or removing objects or faking a scene. Cropping, resizing and light colour or exposure correction are fine.
• AI-generated images presented as real photographs of real projects, people or events. Illustrations made with AI must be labelled "AI-generated illustration".

8.3 Credit, caption and alt text

• Credit line format: Image: [Source/Photographer], or Image courtesy [Company], placed under the lead image or in the Sources list.
• Captions describe what is shown and add context. They don't just repeat the headline.
• Alt text gives a plain description for screen readers ("Twin timber houses among pine trees in Valle de Bravo").
• Brand logos and director portraits are used only for the brand's own feature and its social post.

EXD runs two separate tracks: editorial brand features, which are free, and paid commercial content, which is always labelled. Readers must always be able to tell which is which.

9.1 Editorial brand features ("no commercials")

EXD profiles companies, founders and initiatives whose work matters to India's energy and design transition. These features are not paid for. No money, gifts or advertising commitments are asked for or accepted in exchange for coverage.

• EXD edits brand material into EXD style, checks the claims (Section 6) and keeps final editorial control. Brands may be asked to confirm facts, but they don't approve headlines, angle or copy.
• Promotional claims ("India's best", "No.1") are removed unless they can be verified independently and attributed.
• Features follow the normal structure and still end with the India relevance angle and Watch next.

9.2 Sponsored and advertising content

EXD sells advertising formats including newsletter sponsorship, homepage takeovers, sponsored articles and annual partnerships (see exd.news/advertise). For any paid placement:

• Label it clearly and prominently as "Sponsored", or "Partner content" for partnerships, on the article, the homepage card, the newsletter slot and every social post (use Instagram/LinkedIn branded-content tools or "#Sponsored" at the start of the caption).
• Sponsored content never carries the "EXD Editorial" byline. It is credited "Sponsored by [Brand]" or "In partnership with [Brand]".
• Sponsored articles are still checked for facts and taste, and must keep to the source-credited standard. EXD can turn down any advertiser or ad copy.
• Commercial staff and advertisers have no say over independent editorial coverage, and advertisers get no advance view of it.
• Affiliate links, if ever used, are disclosed in the story.

Press releases are raw material, not finished copy. EXD's job is to verify them, give them context and draw out what they mean for India.

10.1 Handling press releases

• Press releases and story leads go to pr@onedigital.co.in.
• Never republish a release word for word. Rewrite it in EXD style, add independent context and the India analysis, and remove marketing language.
• Attribute the release ("the company said in a statement") and link to it under Sources.
• Check key claims (capacity, value, dates, "first/largest") against a second source or the primary filing wherever you can.
• A press release alone doesn't make a story newsworthy. Ask: does this matter to India's energy or built-environment transition?

10.2 Embargoes

• EXD keeps to embargoes it has agreed to. Nothing goes live, is scheduled publicly or appears in social posts or the newsletter before the embargo lifts (always read in IST).
• Schedule embargoed stories in the CMS for the lift time and check the time zone.
• If the information is already public through another channel, EXD can treat the embargo as lifted, after telling the sender.
• We don't agree to embargoes that come with conditions on our coverage (approval of copy, mandatory quotes).

10.3 Pitches and contributors

• Contributors pitch through exd.news/contribute: the story in 2–3 sentences and why they're the right person to tell it.
• We only accept work that hasn't been published anywhere else, including personal blogs and LinkedIn.
• All factual claims must link to primary sources (studies, press releases, official data), not aggregators.
• Contributors must disclose any financial or professional relationship with the subjects they write about. EXD doesn't publish undisclosed promotional content.
• EXD aims to reply to pitches within 7 working days. If there's no reply after 10 days, the pitch wasn't a fit. Contributors keep their copyright and give EXD a non-exclusive licence to publish (see the Terms of Use).

Every published article gets one social creative and two platform-specific captions, posted to Instagram @energyxdesignofficial and the LinkedIn page EXD - Energy by Design.

11.1 The article creative (1080 × 1440 px, 3:4)

The creative headline can be shorter than the web headline (for example "Bihar Approves 300 MW Solar+Storage: What It Means for India"), but it must keep the hook-colon-India formula and stay accurate.

11.2 Instagram caption

1. An opening summary of the news in 1–2 sentences, ending with 1–2 relevant emoji (☀️🔋 🌲🏡).
2. "Here is what it means for India's [sector]:"
3. 3–4 bullets that start with 🔹, each in the form Label: explanation.
4. "Watch next:" followed by the triggers from the article.
5. "Read the full story:" followed by the full article URL and 🔗. (Links aren't clickable in Instagram captions, so the link in bio or a link sticker carries the click.)
6. Hashtags: #EXD #EnergyByDesign plus 5–8 topic tags, ending with #India.

11.3 LinkedIn post

1. An opening hook: a question or a sharp one-line statement ("What if the most sustainable building decision is to build less?").
2. A context paragraph with the facts, named institutions and figures.
3. "In our latest story on EXD — Energy by Design, we look at what it means:"
4. 3–4 bullets that start with •, each in the form Label: explanation. No emoji in the body.
5. "Watch next:" · "Read the full story:" followed by the clickable URL.
6. Hashtags: #EnergyByDesign #EXD plus topic tags (#EXDNews is optional).

12.1 Independence

• EXD's journalism is independent. Owners, advertisers, sources and partners don't decide what we cover or what we conclude.
• Staff and contributors don't accept payment, gifts beyond token value, or favours in exchange for coverage. Press passes, event access and review samples are accepted only when they come with no conditions on coverage, and they are disclosed where relevant.

12.2 Conflicts of interest

• Tell the Editor about any financial interest (shares, consultancy, family employment) in a company you cover. The Editor decides whether to reassign the story or disclose the interest in it.
• ONEDIGITAL's own commercial relationships with a company in a story are disclosed in that story.
• Writers don't trade securities using information gathered for an unpublished story.

12.3 Fairness and privacy

• Where a story makes significant criticism of a named person or company, give them a chance to respond and include their response, or note that they didn't respond.
• Report on individuals' private lives only when there is a clear public interest. Handle reader data as described in the EXD Privacy Policy.

12.4 AI and automation

EXD uses AI and automation tools to support its workflow, for example to research background, draft first versions, prepare social captions and creatives, and schedule posts. The rules:

• A human is responsible for everything we publish. An EXD editor reviews, fact-checks and approves every article, caption and creative before it goes out.
• AI output is never a source. Every fact, figure and quote AI produces must be traced back to a primary source and verified (Section 6). Never publish a quote, statistic or citation that an AI tool supplied unless it has been checked.
• No AI-generated images of real people, projects or events presented as real. AI illustrations are labelled.
• No confidential or embargoed material is put into third-party AI tools unless their terms protect it.
• When a piece is substantially AI-generated in a way that matters to readers (for example an automated data summary), say so in the piece.

When we get something wrong, we fix it quickly, say so openly, and make sure the record shows what changed.

Process

1. Readers, sources and brands report errors to pr@onedigital.co.in. Copyright and attribution complaints are handled as described in the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
2. The Editor assesses the report, normally within two working days, and decides whether it needs a correction, clarification or update.
3. Corrections are made on the site first, then on Instagram, LinkedIn and the newsletter wherever the error was repeated.
4. We keep an internal log of corrections and review it to spot recurring problems.

Right of reply. A company or person in a story who disputes how they were represented can ask to respond. If the response adds material facts, we update the story with it and attribute it.

EXD — Energy by Design · Editorial Guidelines · Version 1.0 · November 2026 · A ONEDIGITAL venture · Editor: Nishit Gururani · pr@onedigital.co.in · exd.news