1. Select a decision-relevant question
WSOI begins with a question whose answer could improve a public decision. A paper should identify the decision-maker, the affected public, the relevant time horizon and the cost of leaving the problem unresolved. Topics chosen only because they are fashionable or provocative do not meet this standard.
2. Establish the evidence base
We prefer primary records: statutes, regulations, official datasets, agency reports, audits, court filings, technical standards, original research and direct statements. Credible secondary reporting and expert analysis are used to add context or locate primary material, not as substitutes when the underlying record is available.
Each source is evaluated for proximity to the event or dataset, methodological quality, incentives, completeness, timeliness and consistency with independent evidence. Popularity is not a measure of reliability.
3. Separate four kinds of statement
- Established fact: directly supported by strong evidence.
- Attributed claim: a statement whose existence is verified but whose substance remains contested.
- Inference: a conclusion drawn from evidence and labeled as interpretation.
- Recommendation: a proposed choice that combines evidence with explicit goals and tradeoffs.
4. Test alternatives and failure modes
Policy options are assessed for effectiveness, administrative burden, legal authority, fiscal exposure, distributional effects, implementation capacity, reversibility and the risk of unintended consequences. Where evidence cannot resolve a tradeoff, the paper states the value judgment required.
5. Make uncertainty visible
WSOI does not fill factual gaps with confidence. Material limitations, disputed definitions, incomplete data and plausible alternative explanations belong in the main analysis, not in fine print. Forecasts are identified as forecasts and dated to the information available when written.
6. Verify and disclose
Before publication, names, dates, figures, quotations, links and central claims are checked against their sources. Publications include a source list, suggested citation and version date. Relevant project funding or conflicts are disclosed. Material errors are corrected transparently.
Use of artificial intelligence
AI tools may assist with search, comparison, drafting, organization or technical checks. They are not treated as factual authorities. Claims produced or transformed with AI assistance must be verified against inspectable sources, and the institution remains responsible for the final publication.