Identifying quality sources is as complicated as it is vital to our process. Here’s a list of every source we’ve ever used and how they stacked up to our criteria.
We believe that transparency is key to building trust. That’s why we work hard to build criteria that forces higher quality sources, provide the citation for every piece of information and make sure that you’re in on it. We also only source from academic journals, think tanks, and government agencies that meet our criteria for factual integrity and established reputation. Questions or suggestions to improve our criteria? Connect with us.
Some Background:
AMERICAN’S TRUST IN MEDIA IS LOW.
With an expanding sea of sources and widening gap of polarization, creating a list of trusted sources has become increasingly difficult. A 2018 Gallup poll showed that only 45% of Americans trust mass media (which is actually an improvement from a 2016 low of 32%). More than half say they can't name a single objective news source. And when asked to identify the most pressing issue facing our nation, Americans named fake news as a more critical problem than terrorism, illegal immigration, racism, or sexism.
THE THREAD SOURCES DIRECTLY FROM ACADEMIC RESEARCH, THINK TANKS, AND GOVERNMENT ENTITIES.
Our team (the nerds) bypass traditional media to consolidate hundreds of hours of research straight from academia, think tanks, and government entities. These entities main function is to produce research and data. When we look for answers to each week’s topic question, why wouldn’t we go straight to those whose job it is to answer these types of questions every day? However, not all research, think tanks, and government entities are created equal. That’s why we created criteria that each source must meet to be included in our articles.
Don’t like our sources? Great! Help us improve our criteria to ensure that we have the best vetting process in the business. Remember, our goal is not to present one “unbiased” perspective, but to present diverse perspectives that are “multi-biased.” Check out our articles to see the multi-bias in action.
Our Source Criteria:
ACADEMIC JOURNALS CRITERIA.
Definition: Academic or scholarly journals are different from other information forums. They are typically formed within a particular field or area of study. They should be a transparent, consistent publication. The forum allows for presentation, discussion, and scrutiny of the study in a discipline to be reviewed by expert peers within the field. Journal Impact Factor evaluates quality of a journal based on number of citations of articles in other journals. SCImago Journal Ranking (SJR) is developed by Elsevier to evaluate not just the number of citations but the discipline of the journal citing them.
Source Criteria:
A Minimum Impact Factor score of 4+ (includes approximately 10% of journal articles)
THINK TANKS CRITERIA.
Definition: Think tanks, as defined by Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program, are public-policy research, analysis and engagement organizations that generate policy-oriented research, analysis, and advice on domestic and international policies. These institutions often act as a bridge between the academic and policy-making communities and between states and civil society, serving in the public interest as independent voices that translate applied and basic research into a language that is understandable, reliable, and accessible for policy makers and the public issues, thereby enabling policy makers and the public to make informed decisions about public policy.
Source Criteria:
Recognized in ‘Global Go To Think Tank Index Report’
Recognized as a ‘3’ or greater (all or most donors listed, broadly transparent, or highly transparent) Transparent on transparify.org
Funding sources listed on website
GOVERNMENT AGENCY CRITERIA.
Definition: Federal statistics, as defined by the Office of Management and Budget, are essential to inform private and public decision-making across our Nation. Thirteen principal Federal statistical agencies and three recognized statistical units (agencies whose principal mission is to produce official Federal statistics) are joined by over 100 other Federal programs in statistical activities spanning measurement, information collection, statistical products, data management, and dissemination.
Source Criteria:
Data and information sourced directly from one of the Principal Statistical Agencies of the US Government or a supporting verified government agency
OTHER NEWS OUTLETS.
Establishing criteria for the quality and accuracy of other news sites is difficult. For this reason, we do not reference other news outlets in Thread stories unless the information we are citing is publicly available. For example, we may reference other news outlets for what politicians said at a public hearing, what a company said in a press release, etc.
Questions? Connect with us.