# How We Research: Our Protocol, Rubric and Limits

> We don’t wear-test garments. Here is exactly how we research them instead: dated spec checks, user reports, cited medical sources and a published scoring rubric.

URL: https://fixapronbelly.com/how-we-research/
Updated: 2026-09-14

Last updated Sep 14, 2026

**Fix Apron Belly does not wear-test garments.** We research them: we check each garment’s specs, sizes, price and return policy on the brand’s own page on a named date, read public reports from people with an apron belly, and score everything on the same weighted rubric published below. Medical statements come from cited clinical and insurer sources.

38

garments scored

83

user comments collected

Sep 14, 2026

latest spec and price check

## What we don’t do (yet)

- **No wear tests.** Every product verdict carries the label “Researched, not hands-on tested”. If we start wear-testing, we’ll publish the protocol here first and label tested garments separately.
- **No star ratings, no review counts of our own, no `AggregateRating` markup.** Our number is a research score, and every part of it is shown on the page.
- **No invented people or testimonials.** Pages are written by the Fix Apron Belly Editorial Team. Every quoted user experience links to the public post it came from.
- **No medical advice.** We summarise what sources say and send readers to a doctor for diagnosis and treatment decisions.

## The research protocol

Each garment goes through the same four steps. Anyone following them on the same date should get the same numbers.

1. **Spec capture.** From the brand’s own product page and size chart (or a major retailer if the brand page fails), record: full size run, largest size, whether sizing is by body measurement, maximum hip measurement where published, rise and length, construction (front panel, boning, silicone grip, closures), fabric composition, gusset, stated compression level, price, sale status and return policy. Each field stores the check date and source URL. Fields we can’t verify are left empty and marked “not published”, never estimated.
2. **User-report mining.** Search Reddit (all communities) for comments about the garment or brand from people who say they have an apron belly, pannus or hanging belly. Keep only relevant comments, quote them word for word (trimmed only with “…”), save the full permalink and date, and tag sentiment as positive, negative or mixed. Brand-level reports are labelled as brand-level.
3. **Scoring.** Score each rubric criterion from the recorded evidence using the descriptors below. The overall score is calculated from the weights: nobody types it in.
4. **Re-checks.** Every check is re-run at least every 90 days, or sooner when a price moves more than 15% or a size is discontinued. Checks older than 90 days show a “re-check due” label on the page until they’re redone.

## The scoring rubric (v1.0, effective Sep 14, 2026)

Computed from published specs, dated price and policy checks, and mined user reports. Not a hands-on wear test. Scores run 0–10. The overall score is the weighted sum, rounded to one decimal place.

| Criterion | Weight | Question | Scoring guide |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Size range | 25% | How large does the size run go? | 2: Largest size 2X or smaller5: Largest size 3X7: Largest size 4X9: Largest size 5X10: 6X or larger |
| Lower-belly design | 25% | Does the construction hold and lift a hanging lower belly instead of pushing it down? | 2: Low or mid rise, no front panel: waistband lands on the fold5: High rise, no reinforced front panel8: High rise plus a double-layer or reinforced front panel10: High rise, reinforced front panel and anti-roll structure (boning, silicone band or full-torso coverage) |
| Fit reports from people with an apron belly | 20% | What share of relevant public user reports describe a good fit on a hanging belly? | 0: Mostly negative5: Mixed8: Mostly positive10: Consistently positive across 10+ relevant reports Capped at 6 when fewer than 5 relevant reports exist. |
| Comfort and moisture | 15% | Breathable fabric, cotton gusset, and how often roll-down or digging-in is reported. | 3: Frequent roll-down or heat complaints6: Some complaints9: Breathable fabric, cotton gusset, rare complaints |
| Value | 10% | Price per garment compared with the category median on the check date. | 3: More than 1.5 times the median6: Near the median9: Below the median |
| Return policy | 5% | How easy is it to return a garment that doesn't fit? | 0: Final sale5: Returns allowed, buyer pays or under 30 days10: Free returns, 30 days or more |

Why these weights: size range and lower-belly design together make up half the score, because a garment that doesn’t come in your size, or whose waistband lands on the fold, fails no matter how good it is otherwise. User reports are weighted next because they’re the closest thing to real-world fit we can verify without testing. Value and returns matter, but they don’t decide whether a garment works.

## How we source medical information

Medical and insurance statements must trace back to one of these source types: peer-reviewed papers (PubMed/PMC), NCBI StatPearls, professional societies (American Society of Plastic Surgeons), major hospital systems (Cleveland Clinic), FDA device records, and insurers’ published medical policies. We record the exact supporting passage and the access date. When sources disagree, we say so. For example, grades 1 and 2 are worded differently in some papers, and we use ASPS’s wording. Statements we can’t source aren’t published.

We currently cite 17 institutional and clinical sources across the site.

## Money and independence

Some product links may earn a commission ([disclosure](https://fixapronbelly.com/disclosure/)). The rubric is applied the same way whether or not a brand pays us. Garments with no affiliate program are scored and recommended on the same terms. Brands can’t pay for a score, a placement or the removal of a “Skip if”. See the [editorial policy](https://fixapronbelly.com/editorial-policy/).

## Challenge a score

If a spec, price or policy is out of date, or you think we’ve misread a size chart, email [hello@fixapronbelly.com](mailto:hello@fixapronbelly.com) with the product link. Brands can send corrections the same way. We re-check against the brand’s page, update the record and date, and the score recalculates across the site.