StudyFinds was created at the end of 2016 when founder Steve Fink realized there was no hub for studies focused on the average reader. A longtime journalist, Murrow Award-winning managing editor, and progressive content development executive across his 20 years with CBS Local Digital Media, CBS Television Stations, and CBS News, Steve found himself always fascinated by the scientific studies frequently featured on newscasts. That’s when the idea for StudyFinds came to his mind.
One problem that always ate away at Steve: how could the true breadth of a study be explained in a 30-second voiceover or 2-minute on-air package? Studies are used to make everyday decisions, and if individuals are changing their day-to-day routines without having all the facts in front of them, those decisions could wind up doing far more harm than good. It’s important for readers to know who’s behind the study, how many participants it involved, the demographics of the participants, limitations, whether results are causal or observation, who funded the research, and anything else that doesn’t always get reported on. Moreover, links to the sources and the journal articles are so necessary — and many mainstream sites refuse to link to other sites. This level of transparency is paramount for research reporting.
With the help of a friend who had a background in website development, Steve launched StudyFinds to provide this hub that was so needed — and one that had no other agenda outside of providing more information to the reader. Targeting research covering a multitude of topics for the general public and without any outside funding or a budget comparable to top sites, Steve turned to budding, ambitious freelance writers and journalists to help him in his mission. To date, StudyFinds has never accepted outside funding and has run entirely on its own from ad revenue. Including ads in stories allows StudyFinds to remain free while providing work to its excellent editing and writing team.
Initially a small nighttime passion project for Steve in its first several years, StudyFinds became a full-time operation and career for him in January 2022. It was around then that Steve also added the “Best of the Best” section to StudyFinds — a product of his own Google behavior when shopping for a product or looking for “best of” lists. How many times have you found yourself looking for a new TV, a pair of shoes, or face wash, and you wind up reading review after review on Google? What if someone did the research for you and came away with consensus picks? The Best of the Best section aims to do just that, while properly sourcing and returning links to these top sites behind the reviews.
Our popular Best of the Best articles are among the most debated on StudyFinds — and that’s exactly what we want. If you disagree with the takeaways, share your thoughts in comments. But do it with respect and civility. Because many commenters can’t follow this simple requirement, our comments are moderated before approval. StudyFinds is not a place for hate or incivility. You can leave that at the door, thank you very much!
Again, our goal is to help you make better everyday decisions by providing you with the latest research. We love hearing from our readers, which you can do by emailing editor (at) studyfinds (dot) org.
Over the years, StudyFinds has been mentioned by major media outlets and celebrities. Our content is regularly cited on radio and television stations across the country.
Today, StudyFinds remains a small fish in a big pond. But thanks to our great readers (and newsletter subscribers), we continue to provide high-quality reports on studies and Best of the Best reviews for free. We hope to remain free while providing more work for the many great freelance journalists out there, and there are some simple ways you can help us do that (for free, of course). You can subscribe to our newsletter, you can follow us on Facebook or on X (formerly Twitter), and share the content you like with others! And mobile Chrome users can follow us by clicking on the three dots at the bottom righthand corner of the page and selecting “Follow StudyFinds.org.” We greatly appreciate the love and are so thankful for the support and amazing feedback you send us.