How often do writers reject research they cannot verify?
70.5%
70.5% of content professionals decided against citing research at least once in the past six months because they could not verify how it was conducted.
n = 863 people who write, edit or commission online content for work · Fielded October 2026 · Cherry Data Signals
Breakdown
Figures are rounded and may not total exactly 100%.
What it means
Unverifiable research is not just slightly less useful. It is regularly passed over altogether, and 45% have done so more than once.
Methodology
- Sample
- 863
- Population
- people who write, edit or commission online content for work
- Country
- United States
- Fielded
- October 2026
- Research by
- Cherry Data Signals
- Study
- What makes original research worth linking to
Cite this statistic
Cherry Data Signals (October 2026). "How often do writers reject research they cannot verify?" Survey of 863 people who write, edit or commission online content for work, United States. https://cherrysignals.com/statistics/how-often-do-writers-reject-research-they-cannot-verify
Free to reproduce with attribution to Cherry Data Signals and a link to this page.
Related statistics
- How often do content professionals cite original research?82%
- Why do writers include research in content?41%
- What type of research finding gets cited most?38%
- What do writers check before citing a survey?65%
- How old can a survey be before writers stop citing it?48%
- What stops writers using a research report?35%
- What research format is easiest to cite?44%
- Do writers prefer research from established organizations?40%
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