R0051/2026-03-31/Q003/SRC02

Research	R0051 — Fact-Checking Gap
Run	2026-03-31
Query	Q003
Search	S02
Result	S02-R01
Source	SRC02

Uscinski & Butler (2013) — Foundational critique documenting methodological gap

Source

Field	Value
Title	The Epistemology of Fact Checking
Publisher	Taylor & Francis / Critical Review
Author(s)	Joseph E. Uscinski, Ryden W. Butler
Date	2013
URL	https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08913811.2013.843872
Type	Research paper

Summary

Dimension	Rating
Reliability	High
Relevance	High
Bias: Missing data	Low risk
Bias: Measurement	N/A
Bias: Selective reporting	Some concerns
Bias: Randomization	N/A — not an RCT
Bias: Protocol deviation	N/A — not an RCT
Bias: COI/Funding	Low risk

Rationale

Dimension	Rationale
Reliability	Seminal peer-reviewed paper. Widely cited in subsequent literature.
Relevance	Earliest and most explicit documentation of the epistemological gap in fact-checking methodology.
Bias flags	Strong polemical thesis may lead to selective emphasis on weaknesses.

Evidence Extracts

Evidence ID	Summary
SRC02-E01	Explicit critique that fact-checking methods fail scientific epistemological standards