1. Goal ​

These reports focus on meta and cross-cutting issues that affect a large number of ideas and would not get covered by our standard reports. Their goal is to support the consideration of different ideas.

2. Explanation

Many reports that we write throughout the year are not directly about a charity idea but instead about a broader aspect of our research process or an explanation of an aspect of our research process. Examples of reports like these from last year include why focus on animals, our process for narrowing down ideas, and the small animal replacement problem. None of these were directed at a single charity idea, but they did help us understand our research or explore an issue that could apply to some charity ideas more than others.

3. Method

The methods for these reports will have a very wide range; we expect to create about twenty supporting reports over the year. Some examples of planned supporting reports include:

• Meta process-focused reports (like this one) explaining how we use CEAs and experts and how to narrow down ideas
• A deep look at mental health metrics and how we cross-compare subjective well-being and other methods
• Broad meta research reports such as a report on what heuristics can be used to determine promising cause areas quickly
• How to model speeding up progress vs changing trajectories 

We expect many ideas for reports such as these to come up throughout the process of researching ideas but only to have time to address the most important ones.

Supporting reports can be conducted at all stages of the research process and at different depths dependent on the importance and complexity of the object of the research. ​

4. Publishing plan

Generally, our supporting reports will be published in full in a format that is conducive to our blog. They will range from being made for a more introductory audience to only being helpful to the deepest followers of our research. ​