RESEARCH + EVIDENCE
Don't just read the claim. Find the evidence.
You don't need to be a researcher to investigate an issue.
Start with original data, peer-reviewed research, government records, and transparent sources whenever possible.
🔬 FIND RESEARCH
GOOGLE SCHOLAR
Search academic literature across many subjects.
https://scholar.google.com/
📊 FIND PUBLIC DATA
DATA.GOV
Search datasets published by U.S. government agencies.
https://data.gov/
U.S. CENSUS BUREAU
Population, demographics, housing, communities, businesses, income, and more.
https://data.census.gov/
CDC DATA
Public-health statistics and datasets.
https://data.cdc.gov/
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
Employment, wages, inflation, occupations, and economic data.
https://www.bls.gov/data/
🌎 ENVIRONMENT + CLIMATE
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
Air, water, pollution, chemicals, environmental enforcement, and environmental data.
https://www.epa.gov/
NOAA
Climate, weather, oceans, atmospheric science, and environmental monitoring.
https://www.noaa.gov/
U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Water, ecosystems, geology, natural hazards, land, and environmental science.
https://www.usgs.gov/
🏘️ HOUSING + COMMUNITIES
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING + URBAN DEVELOPMENT
Housing programs, policy, research, and community-development information.
https://www.hud.gov/
HUD USER
Housing research, datasets, reports, and policy analysis.
https://www.huduser.gov/
🏛️ GOVERNMENT + LAW
CONGRESS.GOV
Read federal legislation, bill text, congressional records, and legislative activity.
https://www.congress.gov/
FEDERAL REGISTER
Proposed rules, final rules, notices, and presidential documents.
https://www.federalregister.gov/
GOVINFO
Official publications from all three branches of the federal government.
https://www.govinfo.gov/
🎓 EDUCATION
NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS
School, college, student, enrollment, achievement, and education-system data.
https://nces.ed.gov/
🔎 HOW TO RESEARCH A CLAIM
1. TURN THE CLAIM INTO A QUESTION
Instead of:
“Air pollution is getting worse.”
Ask:
“How have measured concentrations of major air pollutants changed in this location over the last 10 years?”
Specific questions are easier to investigate.
2. FIND THE ORIGINAL EVIDENCE
Look for:
Research studies
Datasets
Government reports
Legislation
Court documents
Public records
Official statistics
3. CHECK THE DATE
Evidence can be accurate and still be outdated.
Check when the data were collected—not just when the webpage was published.
4. CHECK WHO PRODUCED IT
Ask:
Who collected the information?
How was it funded?
How was it measured?
Is the methodology available?
Are there conflicts of interest?
5. READ BEYOND THE HEADLINE
For research, look at:
Sample size
Methods
Population studied
Results
Limitations
Funding
Conflicts of interest
A study's actual conclusion may be much narrower than the claim circulating online.
⚠️ ONE STUDY IS NOT THE ENTIRE EVIDENCE BASE
Studies can disagree.
Results can fail to replicate.
Different populations can produce different outcomes.
New evidence can change scientific understanding.
When possible, look for multiple high-quality studies, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and the broader body of evidence.
PRIMARY SOURCES MATTER
Whenever possible:
Article → Report → Dataset
News story → Legislation → Actual bill
Social post → Court claim → Court document
Infographic → Study → Original paper
Use summaries to understand an issue.
Use original sources to verify it.
PTC RESEARCH STANDARD
PTC should prioritize:
Primary sources
Peer-reviewed research
Government + university data
Transparent methodology
Current information
Multiple sources when appropriate
Clear separation between evidence and interpretation
And when reliable new evidence contradicts something previously published:
Correct it.
KEEP LEARNING
THINK CRITICALLY + CHECK SOURCES →
Link this internally to the PTC Think Critically + Check Sources page.
Research isn't about finding evidence that agrees with you.
It's about finding out what the evidence actually shows.
Evidence over misinformation.