Sources
Sources and limitations
This page explains where the information in the guide comes from, why we quote so few numbers and where the possibilities of a reference text end. It helps you understand what you can trust and when you need a doctor.
A guide can explain how the ear works. Only a doctor who has examined your ear can tell you what is happening with it.
How we choose sources
We rely on World Health Organization materials on safe listening, on the standard developed by WHO together with the International Telecommunication Union, and on textbooks on the physiology of hearing. These sources are reviewed by specialists and do not change from one news story to the next.
We only give specific numbers when they come from these materials: the volume and time reference points from the standard, the WHO estimate of the risk to young people and the date of World Hearing Day — 3 March. Everything else we describe in general terms, so as not to create a false sense of precision.
We do not cite advertising copy, customer reviews or websites that sell products “for hearing”. Attractive statistics on such pages do not make them a source.
Main sources
- WHO — materials on safe listening and World Hearing Day
- WHO and ITU — Safe listening devices and systems standard (2019)
- Textbooks on the physiology of hearing
Limitations of the guide
The guide cannot see you, does not know your medical history and cannot test your hearing. That is why it does not diagnose, recommend medicines or procedures, or choose hearing aids or headphones for you.
We do not publish advertising for clinics, hearing aids or headphones, and we do not assess individual treatments. If you are worried about your hearing, ringing in your ears or pain, see an ENT doctor or an audiologist. Sudden hearing loss means seeing a doctor urgently, and if someone's life is in danger, call 112 or 103 (or your local emergency number).
Read next
- Research
Where hearing data comes from, how to read news about “miracle cures” and which myths are worth forgetting.
- Methods
How hearing is tested, how it is protected and how specialists help people with reduced hearing.
- Glossary
Hearing words in plain language: from the eardrum and the decibel to audiometry.
- Topics
Hearing topics by group: how the ear works, noise and headphones, children and hearing problems. Also home to the article catalogue.
Sources
- WHO — materials on safe listening and World Hearing Day
- WHO and ITU — Safe listening devices and systems standard (2019)
- Textbooks on the physiology of hearing
This guide summarises generally accepted information about hearing as of the date it was prepared. Recommendations from international organisations are updated from time to time, and decisions about your own hearing are made together with a doctor after an examination.