"Use publicly available data to make findings replicable by anyone Vishal Patel deliberately built his research around publicly available federal datasets, noting that 'if there is any doubt that anyone has access as to the validity of the results, the data is publicly available and it can be replicated by anyone.' He kept this in the back of his mind throughout the analysis: 'If there is a mistake, someone will catch it.' Using open data transforms a finding from a claim into a verifiable fact, and it also keeps the researcher honest — knowing anyone can check your work raises the standard of your own scrutiny. For anyone producing analysis in business, policy, or research, anchoring conclusions to publicly verifiable sources is a practical way to build credibility that survives scrutiny. Source: Vishal Patel, Freakonomics Radio, Smartphones, Online Music Streaming, and Traffic Fatalities"