Why do writers include research in content?

    41%

    41% of content professionals include research mainly to support a claim with evidence.

    n = 863 people who write, edit or commission online content for work · Fielded October 2026 · Cherry Data Signals

    Breakdown

    Supporting a claim with evidence41%
    Adding authority to the content25%
    Finding a new story or angle18.5%
    Making a complex topic easier to understand11.5%
    Giving readers practical benchmarks6%
    Meeting a client or editor's requirements3%
    I do not include research3%
    0%50%100%

    Figures are rounded and may not total exactly 100%.

    What it means

    Research is used as proof first and as a source of stories second. A finding that backs up a point someone is already making gets used most often.

    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). "Why do writers include research in content?" Survey of 863 people who write, edit or commission online content for work, United States. https://cherrysignals.com/statistics/why-do-writers-include-research-in-content

    Free to reproduce with attribution to Cherry Data Signals and a link to this page.

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    Research by Cherry Data Signals