Why journalists should look at question order when covering survey and poll results
We explain how question order bias can affect how people answer questions. We also offer five tips to help journalists spot the problem.
Tip Sheets
Expert Commentary
6 tips for covering school vaccination requirements, vaccine exemptions and undervaccination
We asked health and communication researchers for advice to help journalists cover school vaccination requirements in the U.S. amid a rise in measles cases and a push by some lawmakers to let more unvaccinated students enroll.
Expert Commentary
Carbon offsets: 4 things journalists need to understand
From our recent webinar with the nonprofit CarbonPlan, learn how voluntary carbon offset markets work and how journalists can use OffsetsDB, a free data repository, to check companies’ carbon neutrality and “net zero” claims.
Expert Commentary
Reporting on hot-button topics as a science writer: Lessons from abortion coverage
We share a video recording, resources, and tips from a recent CASW Connector Chat with an NPR reporter and a social scientist who studies abortion news coverage.
Expert Commentary
What’s a nationally representative sample? 5 things you need to know to report accurately on research
Knowing what a nationally representative sample is — and isn’t — will help you avoid errors in covering clinical trials, opinion polls and other research.
Expert Commentary
Reporting on violence and threats against US election workers: 6 things to know
In this research-based tipsheet, we cover what journalists should know about the history of electoral violence in the U.S., whether Americans think political violence is justified and how election workers, also called poll workers, think about their jobs.
Expert Commentary
Public financing of sports venues: 7 reporting tips from our webinar
The Journalist’s Resource and Econofact recently hosted a webinar featuring two sports economists and a journalist who covers sports venue financing. Watch the recording and read key tips and takeaways.
Expert Commentary
Journalists should report on lax oversight of research data, says data sleuth
Uri Simonsohn, a behavioral scientist who coauthors the Data Colada blog, urges reporters to ask researchers about preregistration and expose opportunities for fraud.
Expert Commentary
5 things to know about election administration funding: A research-based tip sheet
Elections in the U.S. are usually run at the local level. Figuring out who funds election administration can help you ask questions about whether funding levels are sufficient.
Expert Commentary
7 things journalists need to know about guns
We’ve updated this popular tip sheet, which briefs journalists on basic gun facts and terminology. We created it to help newsrooms avoid some of the most common errors in news stories about firearms, especially AR-15-style rifles.
Expert Commentary