Methodology
How We Score Evidence
Overview#
Each question page includes an "evidence score" indicating the strength of available evidence. This page explains how we assign these scores.
Scoring Criteria#
We evaluate evidence on multiple dimensions:
Source Quality (0-30 points)
- Peer-reviewed research: up to 30
- Government/IEA data: up to 25
- Industry sources: up to 15
- Media reports: up to 10
Quantity of Evidence (0-25 points)
- Multiple independent sources
- Replication of findings
- Geographic coverage
- Time series data
Methodology Transparency (0-20 points)
- Clear methods described
- Data accessible
- Assumptions stated
- Limitations acknowledged
Recency (0-15 points)
- Within past year: 15
- 1-3 years: 10
- 3-5 years: 5
- Older: 0-3
Consensus vs. Debate (0-10 points)
- Strong expert consensus: 10
- Emerging consensus: 7
- Active debate: 4
- Highly contested: 2
Score Interpretation#
| Score | Label | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 80-100 | Strong | Robust evidence, high confidence |
| 60-79 | Moderate | Good evidence, reasonable confidence |
| 40-59 | Limited | Some evidence, interpret with caution |
| 0-39 | Weak | Little evidence, significant uncertainty |
Limitations#
Evidence scoring is inherently subjective. Our scores reflect editorial judgment and should be considered alongside the underlying sources cited.