FirmRanker research standards

Publication gates

Design → QA → Analysis → Publication

No shortcut from raw export to headline.

• 1. Study design defined — Research question and scope are established.
• 2. Data collection complete — Required observations collected.
• 3. Raw observations preserved — Original answers retained.
• 4. Entity resolution complete — Relevant firm-name variants resolved.
• 5. Human QA complete — Validation requirements satisfied.
• 6. Methodology frozen — Analytical rules established before headline selection.
• 7. Analysis complete — Metrics calculated appropriately.
• 8. Limitations documented — What the study cannot establish.
• 9. Fact-check — Claims checked.
• 10. Publication approval — Only then does the study become published research.

Evidence labels

• Preliminary observation — Not yet validated.
• Validated observation — QA complete.
• Study finding — Supported by published study methodology.
• Interpretation — Analytical meaning, not raw fact.
• Hypothesis — Something the evidence suggests should be tested.
• Causal claim — Requires substantially stronger evidence.

Research status labels

• Protocol
• Running
• Validation
• Analysis
• Published
• Updated
• Corrected

Public claim standard

“We observed”, “we measured” and “the study found” are used only where supported. Otherwise FirmRanker says “we are testing”, “we are studying” or “we do not know yet”. Superlatives such as “most accurate” or “definitive” are not used without verification.