Relationship 99 publishes advice about dating, marriage, parenting and separation. Those are subjects where bad information does real damage, so this page sets out plainly who we are, how articles get made, and what we are not.
Who writes this
Articles are published under the byline Elena Rostova. That is a pen name for this site’s editorial desk, not a licensed therapist, counsellor or clinician. We think it is better to say that clearly than to imply credentials nobody here holds.
What we do have is a research habit. Every article is built by reading what relationship researchers have actually published and translating it into something usable.
How an article gets made
- Topic selection. We check a new topic against everything already published here, so we are adding to the site rather than rewriting a page we already have.
- Research. We work from published studies and the researchers behind them – John Gottman and Robert Levenson on conflict and stability, Arthur Aron on self-expansion and closeness, attachment researchers, and others depending on the subject.
- Drafting. Articles are drafted with AI assistance and edited before they go out. We would rather tell you that than let you assume otherwise.
- Sourcing. Researchers and studies are named in the body text, not buried, so you can look them up and disagree with our reading of them.
- Review. Nothing publishes without a human reading it end to end.
How we handle evidence
Relationship science is genuinely useful and frequently overstated, including by people quoting it. Where a finding is strong, we say so. Where it is contested, replicated poorly, or popularly misunderstood, we say that too – even when the tidier version would make a better headline.
We try to be explicit about the difference between correlation and cause. A lot of relationship advice takes a correlation from survey data and sells it as a lever you can pull. Usually it is not one.
What we are not
We are not a therapy service and this is not treatment. Reading an article is not the same as talking to someone who knows your situation. If something here is landing close to home, that is a reason to speak to a professional, not a substitute for it.
We do not give legal or financial advice. Divorce, custody and money are governed by rules that vary by state and change over time – for those, talk to a qualified professional where you live.
Safety
Some of what we write about sits near real danger. If a relationship involves intimidation, coercion, or fear for your safety, general advice is the wrong tool. In the United States, the National Domestic Violence Hotline is available 24/7 at 1-800-799-7233, or text START to 88788.
If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide or self-harm, call or text 988 in the United States to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
Corrections
We get things wrong sometimes. If you find an error – a misread study, a stale statistic, a claim that does not hold up – tell us through the contact page and we will fix it. Substantive corrections are made to the article itself rather than quietly deleted.
Independence
Articles are not written to order for advertisers, and no third party pays for coverage or placement in them.