Our Methodology
The Franklin Process
A disciplined framework for independent inquiry — how we research, reason, and write.
The Franklin Process is the editorial methodology at the heart of every piece published in The Franklin Reviews. It is not a formula. It is a discipline — a commitment to intellectual honesty, rigorous sourcing, and the kind of slow, careful thinking that contemporary media rarely allows.
Named in the spirit of Benjamin Franklin's lifelong practice of structured self-examination and empirical inquiry, the Process asks writers and editors to interrogate their own assumptions before they interrogate anyone else's.
- I
Define the Question
Every piece begins not with an argument, but with a question. We resist the urge to conclude before we have properly inquired. The question must be specific, falsifiable, and genuinely open.
- II
Map the Landscape
We survey the existing literature, reporting, and debate. We identify the strongest versions of competing positions — not the weakest. We look for what is being ignored as much as what is being said.
- III
Stress-Test Assumptions
Every assumption — including our own — is subjected to scrutiny. We ask: what would have to be true for this to be wrong? We seek out disconfirming evidence with the same energy we bring to confirming it.
- IV
Synthesise with Precision
We draw conclusions proportionate to the evidence. We distinguish between what we know, what we infer, and what we speculate. We say so clearly in the text.
- V
Write for the Intelligent Non-Specialist
We write for readers who are thoughtful and curious, not for insiders. Jargon is a barrier, not a credential. Clarity is the highest form of respect for the reader.
"An investment in knowledge pays the best interest."
— Benjamin Franklin
See the Process in action
Read the Case Studies