Sources

We don't write from memory or cite unread research. Here is the list of sources we consider reliable.

Books

Make It Stick

Peter C. Brown, Henry L. Roediger III, Mark A. McDaniel

Overview of effective learning methods for general audience
Atomic Habits

James Clear

Practical behavior change advice; distinguished from scientific evidence
Why We Sleep

Matthew Walker

Controversial claims cross-checked as new data emerges
Peak

Anders Ericsson, Robert Pool

Research on deliberate practice and expertise acquisition
Deep Work

Cal Newport

Focus and productivity; grounded in cognitive science

Organizations

WHO

World Health Organization

CDC

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

NHS

UK National Health Service

Cochrane

Cochrane Library — gold standard of systematic reviews

APA

American Psychological Association

ACSM

American College of Sports Medicine

Research Types

We give greatest weight to:

  • Meta-analyses — combining results of many studies
  • Systematic reviews — across all relevant data with clear methodology
  • RCTs — randomized controlled trials
  • Cohort studies — with confounder control

What We Avoid

  • Personal blogs as primary data sources
  • News articles without links to primary source
  • Research with obvious conflicts of interest
  • Single, unreplicated results