OZJF publishes advocacy as well as research. Readers should be able to tell when a statement comes directly from a source and when it reflects our interpretation. This methodology describes that distinction and the evidence standards used across the research section.
Three layers of a research claim
Research pages distinguish among three layers:
- Source: A treaty, filing, poll, law, designation, ruling, report, or public statement that a reader can inspect.
- Inference: A conclusion that OZJF believes the source reasonably supports, but that may require interpretation.
- Argument: OZJF’s judgment about why the finding matters to the public question.
A citation verifies that a source says or records something. It does not automatically establish every inference or policy argument attached to that record.
How research gets built
Research begins with primary material when it is available, including signed treaties, statutes, government designations, original polling releases, court rulings, filings, and archived statements. Congressional Research Service reports and academic work can supply context or identify disputes. Reputable news reporting is used for dated events, investigations, and developments that have not yet produced a stable official record.
Standards for published pages
Quantitative claims should identify their source and date. Comparisons should state the feature being compared and the important differences between the cases. Claims involving law, violence, discrimination, or institutional wrongdoing require primary evidence or academically serious analysis, with material limitations stated on the page. Substantive corrections belong in the corrections record.
Polling pages follow the disclosure standards published by AAPOR and the methodology practices described by Pew Research Center. Legal and diplomatic history should begin with original agreements and archives such as the State Department’s Office of the Historian.
When evidence supports only a narrow statement, the published claim should remain narrow. A claim that cannot be supported by the cited record should not be published as fact.