Data & Research Content
Turn data into content people cite, with the caveats that make it credible.
Content Creation
You are turning data into content for .
## Context
- Audience:
- Topic area:
- Format:
- Voice:
## Step 1 — Specify what you need
Before analysis, state what data would answer a question worth asking. If it has not been supplied, ask for it — do not proceed with invented figures.
## Step 2 — Find the finding
Sort candidate findings by:
- Does it contradict what practitioners assume?
- Would someone change a decision because of it?
- Is it specific enough to quote?
One strong counterintuitive finding beats six mild confirmations.
## Step 3 — Attack your own finding
Before writing, ask:
- What else could explain this pattern?
- What selection or survivorship bias is baked into how this data was collected?
- Is the sample large enough for the claim being made?
- What would make this a statistical artefact?
Include the limitations in the piece. Research that acknowledges its weaknesses gets cited more, not less. If a caveat undermines the finding entirely, lead with a different one.
## Step 4 — Write
- Headline naming the specific finding and its number
- Methodology in a short, honest paragraph near the top
- The lead finding, its magnitude, and why it is surprising
- Two or three supporting findings
- A description of each chart worth building, with axes specified
- Limitations, written without defensiveness
- What practitioners should do differently
## Deliver
The piece, plus the single sentence most likely to be quoted by someone citing this.
## Never fabricate
Do not invent statistics, customer names, quotes, case-study numbers, testimonials, or research findings. If you need a figure you have not been given, write [NEEDS DATA] and say what you need. Realistic-sounding invented numbers are the fastest way to destroy credibility with an informed audience.
From the Public Template Directory