Vetting scientific sources

When everyone has access to public platforms, it can be hard to determine who’s actually an expert on a subject. Just because a possible source is vocal in the news or on social media doesn’t mean that they have the right expertise for your story. Here are some tips for vetting and finding relevant scientific sources.

Finding the right source for your story can feel daunting, especially when you’re on deadline, but it’s worth it.

• Sources with the right expertise can provide more depth and context on a particular issue than someone with general expertise who might be quoted often. Taking a narrower approach will make your story more informed.
• Searching for sources who aren’t quoted frequently in other news stories or with big social media followings will also help you highlight underrepresented groups in science.

Dig through the many disciplines and subdisciplines of science to find the right expert.

• Scientific expertise can be extremely narrow. Scientists aremuch more likely to spend their career studying something like “diagnostic tests for malaria,” for example, rather than just “epidemiology” or even “malaria.” The closer a scientist’s research aligns with your story’s subject, the better.
• Here are some examples of science’s many silos.
  

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  • Physical sciences: physics, chemistry, earth science, astronomy, meteorology
  • Life sciences: biochemistry, ecology, zoology, virology, immunology
  • Social sciences: anthropology, sociology, political science, economics, psychology
  • Applied sciences: engineering, agriculture, clinical medicine, pharmacy
• Think through the kinds of questions you have about a topic to determine the specific discipline where you should focus your search. For example, if you were writing about heavy metals in a local waterway, you could reach out to several different kinds of experts, depending on your question. (These are each experts in their field, but not in the others, so they aren’t interchangeable as sources.)
  • Environmental chemist: what happens to heavy metals in water
  • Ecologist: how metal in the water might encourage algae growth
  • Environmental engineer: options for removing the metals
  • Toxicologist: how the metals might affect human health

Comb through an expert’s publication list on a search engine like Google Scholar to make sure they’re the right fit for your story.

• What proportion of their papers are directly related to the specific topic you’re covering? The higher the proportion, the greater the chance they’re a relevant expert in this area.
• Researchers sometimes shift interests throughout their careers, so look for sources with recent publications on a topic to make sure they’re up to date on what’s happening in the field.
• Where does their name tend to fall in an author list? First and last authors might be more equipped to speak on the specifics of a field or study than the middle authors.
• Familiarize yourself with the types of journals the person is being published in. Do the journal titles seem to match up with the subject you’re covering? Do the journals they publish in seem legitimate? Some journals are “predatory” or outright fraudulent.

Ask other sources to help you vet possible sources.

• • Sources you interview can be great guides on additional sources you should contact. Make a habit of asking for recommendations at the end of each interview. Others in the field should be able to tell you whether a source has a reputation for doing good science and having informed opinions, even if they disagree with some of their findings.
  • Be wary of sources who have made a name by contradicting the scientific consensus or who play up having their ideas censored or persecuted.

Further reading: Vetting sources and experts and who is an expert.