Wonder requires analysts to go to the original source of information unless it is not available. If it is not, you can use the third-party source without explaining this in your Research Strategy. Auditors know to double-check to make sure the original source was not available without you having to explain this.

What does this mean? If a Forbes article uses data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, cite the information straight from the original source (the Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Below we provide some tips for finding the original source, checking the timeframe of the data, and exploring the data for your research.

Finding the Original Source When There is No Link

If, for example, a blog post references the original source but does not provide the actual link, our proficient analysts do a quick Google search to find the original source. To do this, apply what you’ve learned in Advanced Search Techniques.

Instructions for finding the original source:

• From the article or blog post, find out: 1) the report’s title and 2) the website that published the original report.
• Apply this search formula:

<aside> ⌨️ “[name report]” site:[website address]

</aside>

Example

Search for the publication “US Financial Services Industry Analysis” on McKinsey’s website (https://www.mckinsey.com/)

Ensuring That Original Sources Fall Within Time Restrictions

Above, we’ve already addressed Wonder and client timeframe requirements - so you understand how important they are. Sometimes, while researching, we find an article that fits within the Wonder timeframe requirement (or the client’s timeframe requirement). However, if we trace the data used in this article back to its original source, we see that it falls outside the timeframe requirement. Be mindful of this.