Find expertise, then test independence

What does the Experts desk cover?

This desk covers two jobs. First, find people who know a subject. Second, test whether you should quote them. Start with the six sources below.

If you need to locate a person from a name, number or address, use White Pages and Public Source Lookup or Reverse Directories and Source Lookup. Those pages treat directory listings as leads to verify. This page is about finding and testing expertise.

Start here

How do you identify a researcher and check their publications?

Start with the person’s record, not their title. Match the name to an institution and a field before you trust any list of papers.

• ORCID gives a researcher a persistent identifier. ORCID says researchers control the privacy settings of their own record data. A thin record can mean a private record, so do not read an empty profile as a warning.
• Google Scholar Profiles are made by the researchers themselves. A profile stays visible only to its owner until the owner makes it public. Google’s help page warns that “Author names are often abbreviated and different people sometimes share similar names.”
• PubMed lists biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals and online books. A publication list shows what someone wrote. It does not show whether other researchers accept the work.
• NIH RePORTER searches funded projects by text, principal investigator name, project number, fiscal year and agency. Use it to see which projects a researcher leads.
• NSF Award Search finds active and expired National Science Foundation awards by project title, awardee name, institution or research topic.

For beat context on these tools, see the Health Beat Guide and the Science and Technology Beat Guide.

Which agencies and evidence bodies can point you to experts?

Public agencies and evidence bodies can name the right discipline even when they cannot name the right person. Ask for the topic, not a name.

• National Academies. Its Press and Media page says reporters can email the press office for news alerts. Its Process page lists a policy titled “Composition and Balance, Conflicts of Interest, and Independence: Policies and Procedures.” The institution says it keeps full autonomy from sponsors, donors and other interested parties. That is its own statement of its process, so read the policy before you rely on it.
• Government Accountability Office. GAO describes itself as providing fact-based, nonpartisan information to Congress. Its find-an-expert page states that “Details about GAO Experts are available only to Members of Congress and their staff.” If you are not congressional staff, use the public GAO site instead.
• Congressional Research Service products. The page describes CRS as nonpartisan shared staff to congressional committees and Members of Congress. It states that CRS Reports, as works of the United States Government, are not subject to copyright protection in the United States.
• NASA media contacts. Contacts are listed by science area, such as astrophysics, planetary science, earth science and heliophysics. The page asks you to email only one listed contact per inquiry.
• Census Bureau Newsroom. Its tip sheets have Census experts describe their work and explain census and survey results.
• USGS News. One item invites reporters to connect with USGS media specialists for press inquiries, interviews and expert information.
• NIH News and Events. News releases and media resources from the National Institutes of Health.
• NIFA land-grant university directory. NIFA calls itself the federal partner in a network of scientists, educators and extension staff. Use the directory to reach extension offices for local agriculture, food and community questions.

How do you find a university expert?

University newsrooms keep expert lists. Three examples show the pattern.

• UCLA Media Guide to UCLA Experts. The page says reporters can start there to connect with a faculty expert. It adds that faculty may be available for interviews by arrangement and when class time and research demands permit.
• Northwestern University, For Journalists. It offers a searchable database of faculty members who are available to comment on trending news and research.
• USC Find an Expert. The page lists more than 1,500 experts and points reporters to media contacts who can help source one.

A school’s list shows who the school offers. It does not rank who knows the most. Open the person’s department page and research record too, then run the checks in the sections below.

Which services connect reporters with experts?

Services speed up the first call. They do not do your vetting.

• SciLine. Describes itself as an editorially independent, nonpartisan nonprofit service that connects reporters quickly to scientific experts and validated evidence. It says its work is fully funded by philanthropies and free to use.
• Diverse Sources. A searchable database of underrepresented experts in science, health and the environment. Its About page says sources are verified, then adds that “this verification should not replace a journalist’s usual due diligence in vetting sources.”
• Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE). A nonprofit that gives members access to reporting tipsheets and other materials through its Resource Center, and hosts conferences and training.
• Association of Health Care Journalists (AHCJ). Works with journalists to improve the quality, accuracy and visibility of health journalism. Its site lists webinars that include expert backgrounders.
• The Journalist’s Resource. Describes its goal as bridging the communications gap between academia and journalism.
• ProfNet (Commercial). A service of PR Newswire that says it has connected journalists with expert sources since 1992. It describes access to more than 14,000 public relations professionals and the experts they represent. It is free for media professionals. Expect a communications team between you and the expert.

Finding an expert takes minutes. Testing one takes longer. A directory listing, a service match or a press office referral tells you only that someone is willing to talk. It does not tell you whether they know your exact question or who pays for their work. The next sections give you the checks.

How do you check conflicts of interest and funding?

Start with the money. Then check the affiliations.

• CMS Open Payments. The page describes a federally mandated program that collects information about payments that drug and medical device companies and others make to covered recipients such as physicians. On October 30, 2026 it showed Program Year 2025 data as available and listed the next update for January 2027. Check a physician here before you quote them on a drug or device.
• ICMJE disclosure of interest. The committee writes that “Public trust in the scientific process and the credibility of published articles depend in part on how transparently conflicts of interest are handled during the planning, implementation, writing, peer review, editing, and publication of scientific work.” Read the disclosure section of any paper you cite.
• NIH RePORTER and NSF Award Search. Check whether a federal grant funds the work an expert is describing.
• OpenSecrets. A nonpartisan, independent nonprofit. Its congressional and presidential campaign finance data comes from the Federal Election Commission. Its lobbying data comes from the Senate Office of Public Records. Its About page says it relies on institutional grants, individual donors and income from custom research and licensing data for commercial use.
• FEC campaign finance data. Look up candidate and committee profiles and find contributions from specific individuals. Use it only for a source you plan to quote.
• Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). The Justice Department says FARA requires certain agents of foreign principals to make periodic public disclosure of their relationship with the foreign principal, as well as activities, receipts and disbursements.
• ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. Search for an organization or a person, or search the full text of filings. It shows executive compensation, revenue and expenses. Churches are not required to file Form 990, so a missing church filing is not a red flag.
• SEC Search Filings. Full text search finds keywords and phrases in more than 20 years of EDGAR filings. You can filter by date, company, person, filing category or location.

When a source speaks for an advocacy group, a trade group or a party, say so in your story. For campaign finance and lobbying context, see the Politics and Policy Beat Guide.

How do you verify a professional license?

Licensing is run by professions and by states. Check the record in the place that issues it.

Source for the lawyer row: the ABA’s Consumer FAQs page says states license and discipline lawyers, and that the ABA is not a lawyer disciplinary agency.

BrokerCheck states its own limits: “BrokerCheck does not have information regarding civil litigation not involving investments, civil protective orders, criminal matters unless they are felonies, or misdemeanors that are investment-related or involve theft or a ‘breach of trust.’” FINRA also warns on its Check Registration page that “some bad actors might falsely claim to be registered and even provide doctored information from seemingly reputable sources, like BrokerCheck.” Run the search yourself. Do not rely on a screenshot a source sends you.

What boards publish varies by state and by profession. Check the board’s own page before you report a disciplinary finding. A license shows permission to practice. It does not show independence, and it does not show expertise on your story’s exact question.

How do you check a record for retractions and court filings?

A clean résumé can still hide a retracted paper or a lawsuit. Check both.

• Retraction Watch Database. Search by author, journal, reason and type of notice, including retraction, expression of concern, correction and reinstatement. The database page says the best way to use it is to download it, after Crossref acquired it.
• Crossref’s Retraction Watch page. Crossref acquired the database in September 2023 and made it publicly available. It says the data is gathered from publisher websites and updated every working day by Retraction Watch. You can reach it through a REST API or a CSV download.
• Retraction Watch. Its home page said on October 29, 2026 that the database has over 67,000 retractions. That figure comes from the project itself.
• PACER and federal court records. The federal courts say case files and court records can be found on PACER, or at the Clerk’s Office of the courthouse where the case was filed.

Crossref says other update types, such as expressions of concern and corrections, are included, “but these are not as comprehensive as retractions.” A search with no hit is not clearance. Court records carry names, so confirm that a record belongs to your source by matching details the record itself shows, such as an employer. For court records beyond federal cases, see the Crime, Courts and Law Beat Guide.

What should you ask before you quote an expert?

These are the desk’s five vetting questions.

• What is the person’s direct experience with this specific question?
• Who funds the work, and what financial or advocacy ties matter?
• Can the source explain the strongest competing view?
• Is the source speaking from evidence, professional judgment or personal opinion?
• Whose lived experience or local knowledge is missing?

Reporting checks

• Match the name to an institution, a field and a researcher record.
• Check the license or board status that fits the claimed field.
• Check payments, grants and filings for ties to the topic.
• Search the retraction database for the papers you plan to cite.
• Search court records for a conflict that bears on the topic.
• Say in your story what ties you found.

Keep a vetting log. Record the name, where the lead came from, the checks you ran, the date and the result. For a general verification routine, see the Journalist Toolbox.

What changed on October 30, 2026: rebuilt the page as the Experts desk directory. Added researcher records, agency and university expert sources, reporter services, conflict-of-interest checks, a professional license table and retraction and court record checks. The original sources and the five vetting questions stay.

Next step: White Pages and Public Source Lookup

Sources

1. ORCID and About ORCID
2. Google Scholar Profiles
3. PubMed
4. NIH RePORTER
5. NSF Award Search
6. National Academies, Press and Media and Process
7. GAO and GAO find-an-expert
8. CRS products
9. NASA media contacts
10. Census Bureau Newsroom
11. USGS News
12. NIH News and Events
13. NIFA land-grant university directory
14. UCLA Media Guide to UCLA Experts
15. Northwestern For Journalists
16. USC Find an Expert
17. SciLine
18. Diverse Sources and About
19. IRE
20. AHCJ
21. The Journalist’s Resource
22. ProfNet for Journalists
23. CMS Open Payments
24. ICMJE Disclosure of Interest
25. OpenSecrets and About
26. FEC data
27. DOJ Foreign Agents Registration Act
28. ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer
29. SEC Search Filings
30. FSMB state medical board directory
31. ABMS Certification Matters
32. Nursys
33. ABA National Lawyer Regulatory Data Bank and ABA Consumer FAQs
34. FINRA BrokerCheck and FINRA Check Registration
35. IAPD
36. CPAverify (NASBA)
37. Retraction Watch Database, Crossref Retraction Watch and Retraction Watch
38. U.S. Courts, Court Records