How we research
Short stories still have to be right. Here’s how we check ours.
Every fact has a source
Every story lists the sources behind it at the bottom of the page, so you can check our work and keep reading.
The sources we trust most
When we have a choice, we use sources in this order:
- Original research, government agencies, museums and archives
- Universities and other scholarly institutions
- Major reference works, such as Encyclopaedia Britannica
- General-interest publications, only to support the sources above
When sources disagree, we go with the stronger one and say where the disagreement lies. We’re bringing our older stories up to this standard.
Science and health
For science, we rely on peer-reviewed research, and we say so when scientists haven’t settled a question. On health topics, we report what studies found. We don’t give medical advice.
Dates and changing facts
When a fact can change, like a bill waiting for a vote or the Sun’s activity cycle, we say when it was true and check it again.
Myths
When we debunk a myth, we explain where it came from as well as why it’s wrong.
How we use AI
We use AI tools to help research and draft our stories and to animate our videos. The host you see in our videos is an animated character based on our founder, Edward Silva. AI doesn’t get the final word: we check each claim against the sources listed on the page, and our editor reviews every story before it’s published.
Photos and videos
Our photos come from Pexels and are used under the Pexels license. Our videos are produced for IN60SECONDS.
Mistakes
If you spot an error, email dietersilva10509@gmail.com. See our corrections policy for what happens next.