Mojolin publishes three kinds of research: statistics pages, where every figure links to the report it came from; software comparisons, where tools are scored the same way every time; and career data on tech roles, pay and certifications. All of it is produced by the Mojolin research desk. This page explains how.
Which figures we use
We only publish a figure when we can link it to its primary source. In order of preference, that means:
- Official statistics: national statistics offices and agencies such as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Census Bureau, Eurostat and the UK Office for National Statistics.
- International bodies such as the OECD, the International Labour Organization and the World Bank.
- Research: peer-reviewed studies, working papers and university or nonprofit research centers.
- Industry reports: original surveys and data from the company that ran them, when the method and sample are published.
Every figure carries a label for which of the three it is (Official, Research or Industry), so you can weigh it accordingly. We do not cite pages that only repeat other people's numbers. When a figure turns up on a roundup, we follow it back to the original report, and if we can't find the original, the figure stays out.
How each figure is checked
For every figure we store the publisher, the report title, the publication date and the exact sentence on the source page that contains the number. Before a page is published or updated, a script fetches every source again and confirms that sentence is still there and still contains the number we quote. Figures that fail the check are reviewed by an editor and corrected or removed. Pages show how many quotes passed the latest check.
We describe each figure as narrowly as the source does. If a survey covered 1,000 U.S. marketers, we say so and don't present it as a fact about all businesses. Every statistics page shows its last update and a next review date, about 45 days later.
Charts
Charts redraw numbers from a single named source, in one color, with the values printed on the chart or in a data table under it. Bars and columns always start at zero. Every chart names its source below the plot.
How software is scored
Every tool on a best software list gets three scores out of 10:
- Features (usually 40%): what the product can do, from the vendor's documentation and product pages.
- Ease of use (usually 30%): setup, interface and learning curve, from documentation, onboarding material and free plans or trials where available.
- Value (usually 30%): what you get for the published price, including free plans and their limits.
The overall score is the weighted average, and the weights for each list are printed on the list. Tools are ranked by overall score. Prices come from each vendor's own pricing page; we keep the sentence the price came from and show the date we checked it next to every price. Our scores are editorial assessments, not lab tests.
Career data
Pay, employment and outlook figures for tech roles come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook. Certification prices and rules come from each vendor's official pages, with the date we checked them. See the editorial policy for what those figures cover and leave out.
How to cite us
You are welcome to quote any figure. Please link to the page it appears on (each figure has its own link) and, where you can, name the original publisher too. Every statistics page has a ready-made APA citation and a CSV download of all its figures, and the data explorer searches them all at once.
Corrections
If a figure doesn't match its source, or a price has changed, email editorial@mojolin.com. We check reports within two working days and update the page and its date.