S01¶


Research	R0050 — Journalism Disciplines
Run	2026-03-31-02
Query	Q001
Search	S01

WebSearch — IFCN and PolitiFact fact-checking methodology and evidence standards

Summary¶

Field	Value
Source/Database	WebSearch
Query terms	"IFCN fact-checking methodology evidence quality scale structured verification"; "PolitiFact Truth-O-Meter methodology rating scale evidence evaluation"
Filters	None
Results returned	20
Results selected	4
Results rejected	16

Selected Results¶

Result	Title	URL	Rationale
S01-R01	The commitments of the Code of Principles	https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/the-commitments	Primary source for IFCN methodology requirements
S01-R02	PolitiFact Methodology	https://www.politifact.com/article/2018/feb/12/principles-truth-o-meter-politifacts-methodology-i/	Primary source for Truth-O-Meter rating system
S01-R03	IFCN Code of Principles	https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/	Overview of IFCN framework
S01-R04	The methodologies of fact-checking — Ballotpedia	https://ballotpedia.org/The_methodologies_of_fact-checking	Comparative overview of fact-checking methods

Rejected Results¶

Result	Title	URL	Rationale
S01-R05	RAND — IFCN Codes and Principles	https://www.rand.org/research/projects/truth-decay/fighting-disinformation/search/items/international-fact-checking-network-ifcn-codes-and.html	Secondary summary, no additional methodology detail
S01-R06	FactCheckNI Code of Principles	https://factcheckni.org/about/code-of-principles/	Regional implementation, no unique methodology
S01-R07	Poynter IFCN homepage	https://www.poynter.org/ifcn/	Organizational overview, not methodology
S01-R08	Full Fact — IFCN	https://fullfact.org/about/international-fact-checking-network/	Member description, not methodology
S01-R09	IFCN Best Practices Handbook PDF	https://static.ie.edu/IE-School-Global-Public-Affairs/The%20Best%20Practices%20Handbook%20IE.pdf	Training material, not core standards
S01-R10	Devex — IFCN	https://www.devex.com/organizations/international-fact-checking-network-ifcn-146210	Organization profile, not methodology
S01-R11	ScienceDirect RAG fact-checking	https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0045790625006895	AI/ML system, not journalistic methodology
S01-R12	Poynter Institute Wikipedia	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poynter_Institute	General encyclopedia entry
S01-R13	PolitiFact — Ballotpedia	https://ballotpedia.org/PolitiFact	General overview, duplicates R02 content
S01-R14	Duke — PolitiFact Success	https://sanford.duke.edu/story/behind-unlikely-success-politifact-and-truth-o-meter/	History piece, not methodology detail
S01-R15	PolitiFact dev test	https://devtest.politifact.com/article/2018/feb/12/principles-truth-o-meter-politifacts-methodology-i/	Duplicate of R02 on test server
S01-R16	CJR — Beyond the Truth-O-Meter	https://www.cjr.org/first_person/beyond-the-truth-o-meter.php	Commentary, not methodology
S01-R17	Reporters Lab — PolitiFact at 15	https://reporterslab.org/2022/08/22/politifact-at-15-lessons-about-the-truth-o-meter-innovation-and-pirates/	Historical retrospective
S01-R18	PolitiFact Truth-O-Meter page	https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/	Rating results, not methodology
S01-R19	Factually — FactCheck.org vs PolitiFact	https://factually.co/fact-checks/media/factcheck-org-vs-politifact-methodology-claim-rating-350b3d	Comparison, limited unique content
S01-R20	WRAL — Truth-O-Meter ratings	https://www.wral.com/story/how-we-determine-truth-o-meter-ratings/18769075/	Local affiliate description

Notes¶

Two separate search queries were combined into this search log. Both targeted the core fact-checking methodology of IFCN and PolitiFact specifically. The IFCN commitments page was fetched directly for full criteria extraction.