Authority Network America: Provider Framework

The Provider Framework defines how independent reference-grade web properties are classified, structured, and maintained within the Authority Network America system. This page covers the core definition of the framework, the operational mechanism by which properties are assigned and governed, the practical scenarios in which the framework applies, and the decision boundaries that separate one classification from another. Understanding the framework matters because it determines what standards a given property must meet and how its content is produced and validated.

Definition and scope

A provider framework, in the context of Authority Network America, is the governing architecture that assigns each web property a defined role, subject vertical, geographic scope, and content standard. It is not a publishing calendar or editorial style guide — it is the structural logic that sits above both, determining what a property is authorized to cover and to what depth.

The scope of this framework is national (United States), spanning properties that address verticals including legal reference, health information, financial guidance, regulatory compliance, and multi-vertical network-level functions. Each property in the network operates within its assigned vertical and depth profile, which together constrain the type of claims the property can make, the sourcing standards it must apply, and the page types it is permitted to publish.

The Authority Network America Standards Reference defines the specific content quality thresholds that every provider-classified property must satisfy.

How it works

The framework operates through a 4-layer classification system applied to every property at the time it is initialized and reviewed at each content audit cycle.

1. Vertical assignment — The property is assigned to one subject domain (e.g., legal, health, financial, or multi-vertical). This determines the sourcing hierarchy: federal statutes and agency guidance take precedence for regulatory verticals; peer-reviewed literature and named institutional sources take precedence for health verticals.

2. Geographic scope — Properties are scoped nationally, by region, or by state. National-scope properties must apply standards that hold across all 50 states and cannot make jurisdiction-specific legal or regulatory claims without flagging the jurisdictional limit.

3. Depth profile — Each page within a property is assigned a depth level that controls word count targets, required section types, source attribution density, and whether structured data (FAQ schema, HowTo schema, etc.) is required.

4. Archetype classification — Properties are typed by functional role: a root-level network property operates under different publication rules than a single-vertical authority site. Root properties, like this one, function as the definitional layer for the network itself.

The full operational description of layer interactions is documented on the How It Works page.

Common scenarios

Three scenarios illustrate how the framework applies in practice.

Scenario 1: A new vertical property is initialized.
A property covering employment law at national scope must be assigned a vertical (legal), a scope (national), a depth profile appropriate to reference-grade legal content, and an archetype classification before any pages are published. Until classification is complete, no content is authorized to publish. This prevents scope drift — a named failure mode in reference networks where properties begin covering adjacent topics without the sourcing infrastructure to support those claims.

Scenario 2: An existing property requests scope expansion.
A health-vertical property assigned to a single state seeks to expand to national scope. The framework requires a scope review, which evaluates whether the property's sourcing standards can support claims that hold across all 50 jurisdictions. A state-scoped health property can reference a state health department as a primary source; a nationally scoped property must reference federal agency guidance from bodies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. If the sourcing infrastructure does not support the expanded scope, the expansion is denied until the property meets the threshold defined in the Authority Network America Standards Reference.

Scenario 3: A root-level network property publishes a framework page.
This page is an example of that scenario. A root property is authorized to publish pages that define network structure, provider logic, and classification standards. It is not authorized to publish jurisdiction-specific legal or health guidance, which falls to vertical-specific properties with the appropriate sourcing infrastructure.

Decision boundaries

The framework distinguishes between two property types that are frequently confused: authority properties and directory properties.

An authority property publishes original reference-grade content — definitions, mechanism explanations, regulatory summaries, and structured comparisons — grounded in named public sources. It does not aggregate third-party listings or provide commercial referral functions. Every claim must be traceable to a named institution, statute, or published study.

A directory property aggregates structured listings of providers, services, or resources within a defined vertical. It does not make original analytical claims and does not apply the same sourcing density requirements as an authority property. However, it must meet accuracy standards for the structured data it presents: business names, addresses, license numbers, and similar fields must be verified against primary registries.

The decision boundary between the two types is functional: if a page's primary value to a reader is an original explanation or analysis, it belongs to an authority property. If its primary value is a structured list of external resources, it belongs to a directory property. Mixed-function pages — those that combine original analysis with aggregated listings — are prohibited under the framework because they create ambiguity in sourcing standards and undermine the property's classification integrity.

Properties that operate at the network root level, as documented on the Authority Network America Provider Framework page, occupy a third functional type: they define the framework itself rather than applying it to a subject vertical. The index-level architecture of the network is documented at the main network index.