Find reliable data and source it

A figure with no source is a figure that turns against you. Here's where to find credible data, and how to cite it so it strengthens your file instead of weakening it.

In a market study, the quality of your sources counts as much as your figures. An impressive number pulled from an anonymous blog is worth less than a modest one from a national statistics office. A funder's reflex, faced with a figure, is to wonder: "where does it come from?" If you don't have the answer, the figure is dead — or worse, suspect.

1. Know the authoritative sources

A few families of sources are recognized as serious:

• Public sources: national statistics offices, ministries, sector observatories, central banks.
• Trade bodies: industry federations, chambers of commerce, professional associations.
• Studies and institutes: sector market studies, recognized statistical institutes.
• Local data: your town hall, your chamber of commerce, planning data for your area.

2. Assess a figure's reliability

Before reusing a figure, ask three questions: who produced it (a neutral body or an interested party?), when (a 2015 figure may no longer hold), and on what basis (a serious sample or a back-of-the-envelope estimate). If you can't answer, drop the data.

3. Cite it properly

A good citation gives the source and the year, in the body text or a footnote. It doesn't look "academic": it looks serious. A file that cites its sources signals a rigorous founder — exactly the impression you want to give.

The "too good" figure trap

Beware spectacular figures that circulate with no clear origin ("the market will triple by 2030"). If they're unverifiable, they weaken you. A cautious, sourced figure beats a flattering projection your reader can dismantle.