White Papers
How to Source Claims in a White Paper
An unsourced statistic in a white paper does more damage than no statistic at all.
A white paper is read by people who did not choose to trust you. Every claim it makes is being weighed by someone looking for a reason to dismiss it, and a number without a source is the easiest reason available.
What Needs a Source
- Every statistic: Without exception, including ones that seem obvious.
- Claims about the market: Size, growth, adoption rates and trends.
- Claims about competitors: Anything about how others operate, which carries legal risk as well as credibility risk.
- Claims about outcomes: Especially your own results, which need to be attributable to something.
- Regulatory statements: Cite the rule itself rather than someone's summary of it.
Opinion does not need a source, provided it is clearly your opinion. Problems come from opinion presented as fact.
The Chain Problem
A large share of the statistics circulating in business content cannot be traced. An article cites a blog post, which cites a report, which cites a survey that no longer exists or never said what is claimed.
Following a number to its origin usually takes a few minutes and often ends with the discovery that it is not supportable. That is the point of doing it.
If a number cannot be traced to a primary source, do not use it. Someone eventually checks, and it is usually the person you most wanted to convince.
Where Credible Data Comes From
- Government and regulator statistics, which are free, primary and rarely disputed.
- Industry bodies and trade associations, particularly for sector-specific figures.
- Academic research, where the methodology is published and can be assessed.
- Vendor research, used carefully and attributed clearly, since the vendor had an interest in the result.
- Your own data, which is the strongest of all because no competitor can reproduce it.
How to Present Sources
Keep them visible but out of the way. Numbered references at the end, or a footnote per page, both work. What matters is that a reader who wants to check can, without the text becoming unreadable for the ones who do not.
Include the year. A figure from a decade ago may still be valid, but the reader should be the one deciding that.
The Underrated Advantage
Sourcing well is not only defensive. A paper whose claims can all be checked reads as more confident than one making bigger assertions with nothing behind them, and it is the version that gets cited by other people.
Every claim in the papers we write comes with its source, so your own team can verify before publication rather than taking our word for it — see our white paper writing service.