How to ask for the source behind a claim

Original editorial guidance

If you want to examine a claim someone has shared, you could send a short request that says what you want to read. Use the sample wording below as a starting point, and adjust it to sound like you.

When someone sends a headline

Thanks for sending this. Could you share the article or report it comes from? I would like to read the passage behind the claim. If there is a particular part you found important, please point me to it.

Replace “the claim” with the specific statement you want to examine. Ask for the link or title before asking the sender to defend the whole subject. Offer to share the passage you are relying on, too.

When the source is missing

I have not found the original yet. I am going to leave this one unresolved for now. If you find the source later, you can send it along.

Choose whether to continue searching, and say plainly what you have not read. You need not give a verdict just to finish the exchange.

When someone is sharing an experience

You could first ask whether they want to tell their story, explore an explanation, or look at a published claim together. Follow the conversation they agree to have. They can decline, and you can leave the discussion there.

For a separate guide to examining research, read How can you tell good science from bad science?.