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Q003 — Search Log

Query

Has the academic literature identified and documented the absence of formal evidence evaluation frameworks in fact-checking as a gap? Search for papers that explicitly discuss the lack of structured epistemological methodology in journalistic fact-checking or that propose filling this gap.

Search Executions

Search 1

  • Terms: "fact-checking" "lack of" OR "absence of" formal methodology framework evidence evaluation gap academic
  • Rationale: Direct search for papers identifying the absence of formal methodology.
  • Results returned: 10
  • Selected:
  • SRC-Q3-01: Vladika & Matthes (2023), "Scientific Fact-Checking: A Survey of Resources and Approaches" — arXiv — Notes that no datasets account for "differing levels and strength of evidence." (Also SRC-Q1-13.)
  • Rejected:
  • "Hallucination to Truth" (arxiv 2508) — About LLM hallucinations, not fact-checking methodology gaps.
  • "The blueprint of a new fact-checking system" (ScienceDirect) — About RAG system enrichment, not methodology gap identification.
  • "The Absence of Evidence is Not the Evidence of Absence" (ACM) — About IR techniques for verification, title is unrelated wordplay.
  • "Multimodal Fact-Checking: An Agent-based Approach" — Technical system paper.
  • "A Framework for Rigorously Identifying Research Gaps" — Generic research gap methodology, not about fact-checking.
  • "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence" (Taylor & Francis) — About regression discontinuity in higher education.
  • "Lack of Theory Building" (Taylor & Francis) — About factor/network literature, not fact-checking.
  • "Framework for Determining Research Gaps" (NCBI) — Generic systematic review framework.

Search 2

  • Terms: "fact-checking" methodology critique "no standard" OR "no framework" OR "no formal" evidence assessment journalism
  • Rationale: Search for explicit critique language about missing standards.
  • Results returned: 10
  • Selected:
  • SRC-Q3-02: Seeck et al. (2025), "Fact-Checking in Journalism: An Epistemological Framework" — Tandfonline — Identifies three epistemological challenges. (Also SRC-Q1-01.)
  • SRC-Q3-03: Cazzamatta (2025), "The truth game: Verification factors behind fact-checkers' selection decisions" — SAGE — Examines verification factors across countries.
  • SRC-Q3-04: Mahl et al. (2024), "We Follow the Disinformation: Conceptualizing and Analyzing Fact-Checking Cultures Across Countries" — SAGE — Introduces fact-checking cultures framework, noting research disproportionately focused on Global North.
  • SRC-Q3-05: "What Is the Problem with Misinformation? Fact-checking as a Sociotechnical and Problem-Solving Practice" — Tandfonline — Examines fact-checking as sociotechnical practice.
  • Rejected:
  • Wikipedia fact-checking article — not academic source.
  • Blinn College LibGuide — library instruction guide, not research.
  • "Decoding Correction Strategies" — about correction strategies across countries, not about framework gaps.
  • NPR training guide — practitioner guide, not academic.

Search 3

  • Terms: Uscinski Butler "epistemology of fact checking" 2013 journal arguments
  • Rationale: Deep dive into the foundational gap-identifying paper.
  • Results returned: 10
  • Selected:
  • SRC-Q3-06: Uscinski & Butler (2013), "The Epistemology of Fact Checking" — joeuscinski.com — Full text PDF. (Also SRC-Q1-02.)
  • SRC-Q3-07: Amazeen (2015), "Revisiting the Epistemology of Fact-Checking" — Tandfonline — Rebuttal. (Also SRC-Q1-09.)
  • SRC-Q3-08: Uscinski (2015), "The Epistemology of Fact Checking (Is Still Naive): Rejoinder to Amazeen" — Tandfonline — Rejoinder maintaining the critique.
  • Rejected:
  • Ballotpedia, SCIRP references, academia.edu, rydenbutler.org, Google Scholar, miami.pure — all mirrors/aggregators of already captured sources.

Search 4

  • Terms: Steensen Kalsnes Westlund "limits of live fact-checking" epistemological consequences 2024
  • Rationale: Examine a specific paper for explicit gap identification.
  • Results returned: 10
  • Selected:
  • SRC-Q3-09: Steensen, Kalsnes & Westlund (2024), "The limits of live fact-checking" — SAGE — Documents "confirmative epistemology" in live fact-checking. (Also SRC-Q1-03.)
  • Rejected:
  • Seeck et al. (2025) — already captured.
  • OsloMet profile, Kristiania profile — institutional pages.
  • ODA Open Digital Archive — mirror of SAGE article.
  • SCAM dissemination page — project listing.

Search 5

  • Terms: Fernández-Roldan Teira "epistemic status" reproducibility fact-checking European Journal Philosophy Science 2024 findings
  • Rationale: Examine a philosophy of science paper on fact-checking reproducibility.
  • Results returned: 10
  • Selected:
  • SRC-Q3-10: Fernández-Roldan & Teira (2024), "The epistemic status of reproducibility in political fact-checking" — Springer — Argues fact-checkers do not deliver reproducibility or accountability.
  • Rejected:
  • PhilPapers mirror — same source.
  • PhilSci-Archive preprint — earlier version of same paper.
  • Other Amazeen, Uscinski entries — already captured.

Search 6

  • Terms: "Epistemology of Fact Checking" examination practices beliefs fact checkers world Digital Journalism 2024
  • Rationale: Examine practitioner epistemology study for gap identification.
  • Results returned: 10
  • Selected:
  • SRC-Q3-11: Koliska & Roberts (2024), "Epistemology of Fact Checking: An Examination of Practices and Beliefs" — Tandfonline — Survey of 40 organizations. (Also SRC-Q1-16.)
  • Rejected:
  • IAPMR research round-up — summary article.
  • Other already captured sources.

Search 7

  • Terms: "methodology used by fact-checkers" "in-depth analysis" strategies Journalism Practice 2024
  • Rationale: Search for papers analyzing fact-checker methodology that might identify gaps.
  • Results returned: 10
  • Selected:
  • SRC-Q3-12: "The Methodology Used by Fact-Checkers: An In-Depth Analysis of Commonly Used Strategies" — Tandfonline — Analysis of #CoronaVirusFacts alliance methodology.
  • Rejected:
  • Cazzamatta (2025) — already captured as SRC-Q3-03.
  • Ognyanova (2024) — about audience outcomes, not methodology gaps.
  • The Truth in Journalism guide — practitioner guide, not academic.
  • Public Media Alliance tools — tool list, not research.
  • Source OpenNews — tool recommendations, not research.

Search 8

  • Terms: "what is a fact in the age of generative AI" fact-checking epistemological lens 2026
  • Rationale: Capture the most recent epistemological analysis of fact-checking.
  • Results returned: 10
  • Selected:
  • SRC-Q3-13: "What is a fact in the age of generative AI? Fact-checking as an epistemological lens" (2026) — Tandfonline — Introduces "emergent facts" concept; uses fact-checking as epistemic lens.
  • Rejected:
  • Wolfe (2024) "Impact and Opportunities of Generative AI in Fact-Checking" — about GenAI tools, not epistemological gaps.
  • "Hallucinations in LLMs" — about LLM limitations, not fact-checking methodology.
  • "Fact-checking in the age of AI: Reducing biases" (ScienceDirect) — about using AI to reduce bias, not about methodology gaps.

Search 9

  • Terms: "convergent epistemic practices" visual fact-checking Digital Journalism 2026
  • Rationale: Examine the newest paper on epistemic practice transfer into fact-checking.
  • Results returned: 10
  • Selected:
  • SRC-Q3-14: Grut (2026), "Convergent Epistemic Practices in Visual Fact-Checking" — Tandfonline — Documents adoption of OSINT/intelligence practices. (Also SRC-Q1-04.)
  • Rejected:
  • MediaWell citation — mirror.
  • Other already captured sources.

Search 10

  • Terms: "epistemic status" reproducibility political fact-checking philosophy science Pitt archive
  • Rationale: Check philosophy of science literature for explicit gap documentation.
  • Results returned: 10
  • Selected: SRC-Q3-10 already captured.
  • Rejected:
  • Philosophy of Open Science — unrelated topic.
  • Open Science and Epistemic Diversity — unrelated topic.
  • Epistemic issues in computational reproducibility — about software reproducibility.

Search 11

  • Terms: fact-checking standardized evidence framework proposed solution academic paper structured methodology
  • Rationale: Search for papers that explicitly propose filling the methodology gap.
  • Results returned: 10
  • Selected:
  • SRC-Q3-15: "Misinformation as a Harm: Structured Approaches for Fact-Checking Prioritization" — arXiv — Notes that "fact-checking processes overall are still young and not standardized."
  • Rejected:
  • RAG system blueprint, CLEF-2025, RAFE, PNAS effectiveness study — about technical systems or effectiveness, not about identifying the methodology gap.
  • Liu et al. (2025) on source credibility — about user perception, not methodology gap.

Search 12

  • Terms: Mahl Zeng Schafer "fact-checking cultures" countries conceptualizing analyzing 2024
  • Rationale: Deep dive into comparative fact-checking cultures paper.
  • Results returned: 10
  • Selected: SRC-Q3-04 already captured.
  • Rejected:
  • Social media posts, institutional profiles, altmetric reports — not primary sources.
  • Studying discursive order of AI (2026) — different topic.

Search Completeness Assessment

  • Total unique searches executed: 12
  • Total results evaluated: ~120
  • Sources selected: 15
  • Sources rejected with rationale: ~105
  • Falsification searches conducted: Search 11 specifically looked for papers that propose filling the gap (which would confirm the gap is recognized). Limited results were found.