Research and Fact-checking

Beyond my writing, I also work on the flip side of the coin as a fact-checker and researcher. Clients describe me as meticulous and deliberate, diligent and thorough — always maintaining a sharp eye for detail. Across my research and fact-checking services, I assist writers and editors in producing clean, error-free copy backed up by ironclad sourcing.

I worked as a fact-checker for Air Mail’s digital magazine for nearly three years — where I checked everything from front-of-book pieces to complex feature stories — and managed the research operations for a new monthly vertical focused on wellness. I have experience checking health and science stories that rely on clinical studies. I also fact-check feature stories for independent journalists and industry magazines.

I have assisted independent journalists with research for magazine stories, which includes requesting court records, organizing legal materials and synthesizing story research into memos. I excel at translating dense materials, legalese and jargon into clear, accessible information that’s easy for writers and readers alike to understand.

Throughout my work, I take pride in establishing excellent working relationships with editors, writers, copy editors and legal teams. I am a diplomatic communicator who understands how to skillfully navigate the interests of sources, writers, editors and lawyers to make stories as cohesive and accurate as possible.

I’m available for research and fact-checking assignments spanning books, podcasts and magazine stories. If you’re interested in collaborating on a project, I’d love to hear from you! A few work samples are featured below.

“As a researcher, Carly Stern is a writer's dream — she helps to understand and refine my editorial perspective while ensuring clarity and accuracy. She swoops in and edits like a surgeon; everything I've ever written has been made healthier and more vital by her touch.”  —Brennan Kilbane, contributing writer to Allure and Air Mail

“Carly brings to fact-checking the doggedness, skill and flair for detail of a lawyer. She also has an eye for language, and will often come up with a better way of saying something you’ve written clumsily. All in all, she is quite exceptionally good — and cheerful with it.”

—Jonathan Margolis, columnist for the Financial Times and Air Mail

“Good fact-checkers aren’t always friendly. Too often, they act like merciless interrogators — cold, ruthless, and brutal as they pick apart your story. But Carly is that rare exception: not only is she a thoroughgoing vivisectionist of the written word, able to spot an inaccuracy at a hundred yards — a life-saving talent to writer and editor alike — but she’s also extremely pleasant to work with. She makes what can be a torturous process an absolute pleasure. I highly recommend her services!”

—George Pendle, editor-at-large for Air Mail and freelance writer for Esquire, the Financial Times and the Economist

“Carly has fact-checked multiple print stories for us, from dense features to reported pieces, and her work never disappoints. She is thorough and persistent, proactive, and quick to respond to emails. I trust that when I assign a story to her, she will return her work by the deadline, and save us from multiple embarrassments and inaccuracies. Plus, she is a pleasure to work with!”

—Esther Oh, managing editor at California, the alumni magazine of UC Berkeley