Saez and Zucman only use the standard method 11% of the time.
Share of the 63 method choices we could compare with how government offices and other researchers measure the same thing.
Share of method choices
Why it matters. Whether a method matches how everyone else measures the same thing tells readers how far to trust the numbers.
Not counted: 31 where almost no one else measures the number, 4 we could not tell, 1 disputed. Stricter reading of two AI models used.
Source: SaneCite check of the AI audit of Saez and Zucman’s research. How we graded. Data as of 10 Nov 2026.
Source: SaneCite check of the AI audit of Saez and Zucman’s research, data as of 10 Nov 2026 · sanecite.com/charts
Show the numbers
| How the method compares | Value |
|---|---|
| Nonstandard method | 48% (30) |
| Uncommon method | 41% (26) |
| Standard method | 11% (7) |
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Download the image, paste the caption, or link to this page. Please credit SaneCite (sanecite.com). The numbers come from our published verdicts; nothing here is picked by hand.
- Where the numbers come from.Each figure is printed in the paper, its appendix or the authors’ own files, or recomputed from the authors’ own data. The build checks every one against our published verdict file.
- What “the standard method” means.The way government statistics offices, or at least two peer-reviewed studies by other researchers, measure the same thing. It does not mean the paper’s result is wrong, and it says nothing about anyone’s intentions.
- Check it yourself.This chart's data · the full check · every verdict (JSON) · the AI prompts.