Network Identity
Authority Network America is a national-scope reference publishing organization structured as a coordinated group of subject-matter web properties. This page describes how the network is organized, what geographic and topical scope it covers, how readers and researchers can navigate between its member properties, and what role each domain type plays in the overall architecture.
How the network is organized
Authority Network America operates as a hub-and-member model in which a central coordinating domain connects to a set of specialized reference properties. Each member property focuses on a defined vertical — a subject area narrow enough to support authoritative depth but broad enough to serve a national audience. The coordinating domain maintains the provider framework that governs how member sites are structured, what standards they meet, and how they relate to one another.
The organizational logic separates two distinct functions:
- Coordination and standards — handled at the network level, covering shared editorial rules, source requirements, and structural conventions that apply across all member properties.
- Vertical expertise — handled at the member-domain level, where content goes deep on a single subject area without attempting to cover unrelated topics.
This separation contrasts with single-domain generalist sites, which aggregate broad content under one URL. The hub-and-member model instead routes readers to the property best positioned to answer a specific question, rather than serving every question from one undifferentiated source.
Network scope
The network publishes reference-grade content addressed to a United States national audience. No member property is geographically restricted to a single state or metro area; all content is written to apply across federal jurisdiction or to explicitly identify state-level variation where it exists.
Topical scope spans multiple verticals. Rather than concentrating on a single industry, Authority Network America assigns each vertical to a dedicated member domain. As described in the how it works documentation, this structure allows the network to maintain depth within each subject area while the coordinating layer ensures consistency of quality and citation standards across all of them.
The national scope means member properties do not compete with each other for the same audience segment. A reader researching a compliance question in one vertical will not find that topic duplicated across three other member domains — the architecture routes specific questions to specific properties.
How to navigate the network
Readers arriving at any member domain will find content that stays within that domain's defined vertical. When a topic crosses into another vertical — for example, when a legal question has a significant financial-planning dimension — the relevant member property links outward to the appropriate domain rather than attempting to cover the adjacent subject itself.
Navigation between properties follows a consistent pattern across the network:
- Start at the coordinating domain if the subject area is unknown — the Authority Network America Standards Reference provides an index of member properties organized by vertical.
- Use vertical-specific member domains for deep reference material within a known subject area. Each member domain covers its vertical comprehensively, including definitions, regulatory frameworks, procedural breakdowns, and decision criteria.
- Follow cross-domain links when a topic spans verticals. These links are placed inline at the point of relevance, not collected into generic "related sites" blocks.
The network does not use a single unified search interface. Each member domain carries its own search function scoped to its vertical, which prevents results from unrelated subject areas from diluting the relevance of any given query.
Member domains and their roles
Member domains within Authority Network America fall into two functional categories: authority reference domains and educational reference domains.
Authority reference domains publish primary-use reference material — definitions, statutory summaries, regulatory process explanations, and structured procedural guides. These properties are designed to serve professionals, researchers, and informed general readers who need accurate, specific information without interpretation layered on top. Content on these domains cites named public sources — federal agency publications, statute text, official regulatory guidance — at the point of claim.
Educational reference domains publish explanatory content aimed at readers building foundational knowledge in a vertical. The material on these domains contextualizes the same factual base found on authority reference domains but organizes it around learning progressions rather than discrete reference lookups. A reader new to a subject would typically encounter an educational reference domain before moving to an authority reference domain for more granular detail.
Both domain types operate under the same source and citation standards. The distinction is not in factual rigor but in assumed reader context: authority reference domains assume the reader knows what they are looking for; educational reference domains assume the reader is oriented toward the subject for the first time.
A third category — directory domains — lists practitioners, organizations, or resources within a vertical. Directory domains do not publish interpretive editorial content; they organize structured data (name, location, credential type, scope of practice) in a format useful for readers making selection decisions. Directory domains link to the relevant authority reference domain for explanatory context rather than duplicating that content internally.
The interaction between these three types creates a complete information environment for each vertical: educational domains build context, authority reference domains provide specific factual answers, and directory domains connect readers to practitioners or organizations. All three link back through the coordinating layer, which is documented in the network index and governed by the standards described in the provider framework. Each domain type serves a distinct reader need, and the architecture is designed so that a reader can move between them without encountering redundant or contradictory information.