Extraordinary Claims, Extraordinary Evidence
“Science depends upon contrarians. We need researchers trying to propose claims that most others think are wacky or wrong or offensive or ridiculous, because sometimes rigorous evidence will convince us all that they’re right.”
What counts as an extraordinary claim
An extraordinary claim is an empirical claim that sits unusually far from the current dominant view of the scientific community. For example:
- Contrarian findings that challenge widely accepted assumptions
- Novel empirical insights into taboo, under-researched, or dismissed topics
- Investigations that expose structural flaws in prevalent methodologies
- Projects previously deemed "unfundable" or politically risky
How we evaluate a proposal
Three things tell us a claim is extraordinary. A project does not need all three, but the strongest proposals carry more than one.
Societal impact
Findings that could change what governments, practitioners, industry, educators, or the media do.
Controversial nature
Work that challenges norms held by influential communities or institutions, or takes on politically charged subject matter.
Risks to the researcher
Reputational, career, legal, or institutional exposure, including harassment, strained relationships, and lost funding, of a kind that deters most researchers.
What we provide
Research expertise and personnel
Data analysis and visualization, research and survey design, archival data repositories, and cluster computing pipelines.
Administrative resources
Help structuring a project so it can grow into an IQSS research program or spin-out, plus research space and administrative support.
Funding guidance
Help identifying and securing outside funding. Where none is available, ECEE may provide limited funding directly.
How it works
Intro conversation and proposal
Scoping and partnership agreement
Project work
Paper to rapidPeer, then a journal
What an ECEE project looks like
With ECEE support, Richard McNally's group tested whether trigger warnings and safe-space notices change how students see their instructor. Trigger warnings changed nothing; safe-space notices made students feel safer and more willing to discuss controversial topics, but also led them to see the instructor as politically left. The paper, Sending Signals, was selected as an APA Editor's Choice article in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied (2025).
“We could have this big design that had the statistical power to detect any differences. [Without ECEE] we could have never pulled it off at this scale.”
Confidentiality
The Extraordinary Claims, Extraordinary Evidence partnership is built on trust and an unusual level of confidentiality. All project proposals, data, and research discussions shared with our team are treated as strictly confidential. You can tell others you received our support if you wish, but we will never share anything about your project without your permission. We have found that this high level of confidentiality gives researchers the freedom to explore far riskier ideas than they would otherwise. We invite you to join our highly secure environment for candid, rigorous collaboration with our experts. By keeping your ideas totally private, ECEE can help you develop the extraordinary evidence necessary to convince yourself and the world that you’re right, and if not, to learn why.
The ECEE team
Dr. Steven Worthington
Director of Data Science
Institute for Quantitative Social Science, Harvard University
Dr. Dan Yuan
Data Science Project Management Specialist
Institute for Quantitative Social Science, Harvard University
Made possible by a generous gift from Alexander & Diviya Magaro