Sources
Every claim has a source. This page will grow into a library as explorations publish.
Source Standards
These standards apply to every claim in every Project Emergent exploration. They are not guidelines — they are requirements.
- Tier 1 claims require at minimum one primary or peer-reviewed source. Textbook summaries are acceptable only when the underlying research is cited.
- Tier 2 claims require sources representing multiple credible perspectives, not just the framing we find most compelling.
- No invented statistics. Every number has a traceable source. If a statistic cannot be sourced, it is not used.
- Wikipedia is a navigation tool, not a primary source. It can help identify primary literature. It cannot serve as the endpoint of verification.
- All sources are listed on the exploration page where the claim appears — full citations, not vague attributions.
Source Library
Every source used in a Project Emergent exploration is cataloged internally before it reaches a script. The catalog records what each source claims, how reliable it is, what conflicts of interest exist, whether its findings have been replicated, and whether it has been formally retracted.
This internal library is the foundation that makes transparent sourcing possible on every exploration page. As explorations publish, the sources for each one will appear directly on the exploration page — full citations, evidence tiers, and access information.
Source categories
- Books — Academic monographs and scholarly books, primarily from university presses
- Papers — Peer-reviewed journal articles
- Scientific journals — Journal-level resources and data
- Datasets — Quantitative data from recognized research institutions and government bodies
- Government publications — Official statistical releases, reports, and records with documented methodology
- Historical documents — Primary sources: contemporaneous records, transcripts, legal filings
- Interviews — Expert interviews conducted or cited directly
- Websites — Web sources archived at time of access
Published source lists will appear here as explorations go live. The first exploration is coming soon.
→ View ExplorationsHow Sourcing Works
Before any claim reaches a script, the source supporting it is evaluated:
- Evaluation — the source is assessed for peer review status, replication, conflicts of interest, and whether it has been retracted or superseded by stronger research.
- Tier assignment — the source is assigned the highest evidence tier its quality can support. Tier 1 (Established Evidence) requires peer-reviewed, replicated work. Tier 2 (Competing Hypotheses) requires credible scholarly sources on multiple sides of a debate. Tier 3 (Plausible Speculation) requires an evidential basis — speculation is never invented.
- Cataloging — the source is recorded with its key claims, known limitations, and any bias notes. Rejected sources are also documented, so the same source is not re-evaluated for future explorations.
- Linking — each core claim in a research package is linked to its source before a script is drafted. No script is generated from an incomplete research package.
- Publication — sources appear on the exploration page in full citation format. All sources are listed — not just the ones that support the leading argument.