Our research process is complicated. But the extra effort we went through brings you facts that you can trust to be as unbiased as possible.
1. Overarching Theories/Literature Review
We started by looking at migration theories and collecting all the general information we could find on migration, especially immigration to the United States. This put us in a good place to start our research that way we weren't starting the project without some context.
2. Peer-Reviewed Sources
Then we looked at peer reviewed sources. Peer reviewed sources are usually academic sources that multiple researchers have looked over and edited. Because more than one expert in a field has looked them over to make sure they're accurate, they tend to be extremely reliable sources. Unfortunately, they also tend to be difficult for the public to access. Most academic sources are only available through online journals which usually require an institutional login or paid-subscription to access. That means if you're not somehow associated with a university or another similar institution you would have to pay a lot of money just to read them for a few days.
3. Publicly Available Sources
So we took the foundation we got from those sources and looked for other sources that were available to everyone. Most of those sources are available online on a website or can be downloaded or printed out. They say similar things to the more academic sources and often reference them, but add their own analysis.
To keep the information as unbiased as possible, we made a point to avoid sources that we know are associated with political parties or certain political ideologies. The Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) for example, is well known in the migration community as a more right wing and conservative research institution. On the other hand, the American Immigration Council (AIC) is technically a non-partisan institution. But, it also advocates heavily for undocumented immigrant rights, an issue that tends to lean more left. Although occasionally we pull data from these sources, we didn't use their analysis anywhere on the site to avoid these political biases.
4. Data Sources
Whenever possible, we give you the facts and the data. We also use publicly available data and statistics from places like the U.S. Census Bureau and the PEW Research Center. Unfortunately, data is not synonymous with truth. Data must be interpreted to be fully understood. So, when appropriate we also add our non-partisan analysis to the statistics.
5. Secondary Data Analysis
Occasionally, the data we used didn't quite go as far as we wanted it to and we had to do our own calculations. These calculations are nothing fancy. In fact, they're just BOTECS, simple math that you could do on the back of an envelope. But as simple as they are, they really help to put some of the data into a context that easier to understand. When we do our own calculations, each step we took is always shown in the sources section. Keep in mind that these calculations aren't exact statistics, they're just estimations that help us better understand the data.
We started by looking at migration theories and collecting all the general information we could find on migration, especially immigration to the United States. This put us in a good place to start our research that way we weren't starting the project without some context.
2. Peer-Reviewed Sources
Then we looked at peer reviewed sources. Peer reviewed sources are usually academic sources that multiple researchers have looked over and edited. Because more than one expert in a field has looked them over to make sure they're accurate, they tend to be extremely reliable sources. Unfortunately, they also tend to be difficult for the public to access. Most academic sources are only available through online journals which usually require an institutional login or paid-subscription to access. That means if you're not somehow associated with a university or another similar institution you would have to pay a lot of money just to read them for a few days.
3. Publicly Available Sources
So we took the foundation we got from those sources and looked for other sources that were available to everyone. Most of those sources are available online on a website or can be downloaded or printed out. They say similar things to the more academic sources and often reference them, but add their own analysis.
To keep the information as unbiased as possible, we made a point to avoid sources that we know are associated with political parties or certain political ideologies. The Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) for example, is well known in the migration community as a more right wing and conservative research institution. On the other hand, the American Immigration Council (AIC) is technically a non-partisan institution. But, it also advocates heavily for undocumented immigrant rights, an issue that tends to lean more left. Although occasionally we pull data from these sources, we didn't use their analysis anywhere on the site to avoid these political biases.
4. Data Sources
Whenever possible, we give you the facts and the data. We also use publicly available data and statistics from places like the U.S. Census Bureau and the PEW Research Center. Unfortunately, data is not synonymous with truth. Data must be interpreted to be fully understood. So, when appropriate we also add our non-partisan analysis to the statistics.
5. Secondary Data Analysis
Occasionally, the data we used didn't quite go as far as we wanted it to and we had to do our own calculations. These calculations are nothing fancy. In fact, they're just BOTECS, simple math that you could do on the back of an envelope. But as simple as they are, they really help to put some of the data into a context that easier to understand. When we do our own calculations, each step we took is always shown in the sources section. Keep in mind that these calculations aren't exact statistics, they're just estimations that help us better understand the data.
What sets us apart?
Sure, there are other migration sources out there. But no ones does the immigration debate quite like we do.
LanguageWe purposely write our content in a way that's easy for everyone to understand.
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VisualsWe include lots of engaging visuals to guide you more easily through the research.
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SourcesWe try to always use non-partisan and publicly accessible sources.
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We wanted to make sure that there was an actual need for a source like the Salad Bowl Project before we even started.
That's why, in addition to the research that we did to bring you the facts, we also researched what other sources are out there and available on U.S. immigration. Overall, there are very few sources dedicated to immigration out there. You'll find plenty of articles on migration that we won't cite here. A quick google search will get your there. But if you're looking for a comprehensive source? They are few and far between.
That's one of the reasons that we came up with The Salad Bowl Project in the first place. We were looking for one single place to find information on immigration. Still, the Salad Bowl Project isn't the end all be all of migration. If you're looking for more sources to explore, check out some of the more similar options to us below.
That's one of the reasons that we came up with The Salad Bowl Project in the first place. We were looking for one single place to find information on immigration. Still, the Salad Bowl Project isn't the end all be all of migration. If you're looking for more sources to explore, check out some of the more similar options to us below.
Illegal Immigration by Pro-Con.org
This site is the most similar source that we could find to the Salad Bowl Project. Like us, it emphasizes the importance of non-partisanship and facts. It focuses mostly on illegal immigration but also offers sources on legal immigration. More than anything it incorporates the opinions of voters on both sides of the debate into the conversation providing a really interesting dynamic.
North America by MPI
This site can be difficult to navigate and at times difficult to understand but it does have endless information on migration patterns happening all over the world. This particular section of the site, North America, has reports and articles on various immigration issues discussed in the U.S. For quicker reads, visit the "Fact Sheets" tab and search by the issue you're interested in.
U.S. Politics & Policy - Immigration by Pew
Pew Research Center offers a wealth of incredible data and analysis but it can also be difficult to navigate. On this section of their website you can sort their research by year. Most of their research is divided by topic so it might also be useful to simply search the issue that you're interested in (i.e. DACA or illegal immigration). Pew also offers research particularly on migration from Latin America. You can find it under the Hispanics tab at the top of the page. After clicking on it look for "immigration."
This site is the most similar source that we could find to the Salad Bowl Project. Like us, it emphasizes the importance of non-partisanship and facts. It focuses mostly on illegal immigration but also offers sources on legal immigration. More than anything it incorporates the opinions of voters on both sides of the debate into the conversation providing a really interesting dynamic.
North America by MPI
This site can be difficult to navigate and at times difficult to understand but it does have endless information on migration patterns happening all over the world. This particular section of the site, North America, has reports and articles on various immigration issues discussed in the U.S. For quicker reads, visit the "Fact Sheets" tab and search by the issue you're interested in.
U.S. Politics & Policy - Immigration by Pew
Pew Research Center offers a wealth of incredible data and analysis but it can also be difficult to navigate. On this section of their website you can sort their research by year. Most of their research is divided by topic so it might also be useful to simply search the issue that you're interested in (i.e. DACA or illegal immigration). Pew also offers research particularly on migration from Latin America. You can find it under the Hispanics tab at the top of the page. After clicking on it look for "immigration."
Interested in learning even more?
Check out the sources below for further reading or just to make sure that we're backing up our claims with actual research.
Internet Resources:
- Immigration Polls by Gallup:
Here you'll find public opinion polls about immigration in the United States.
- The U.S. Immigration Debate by CFR:
Looking for an overview of the politics of the immigration debate in the U.S. and their impact on foreign policy? This page from the Council on Foreign Relations might be helpful for you.
- U.S. Immigration Since 1965 by History.com:
This page from History.com gives a short historical overview of immigration to the United States since 1965 up to the election of President Obama.
- The Immigration Debate by NPR
National Public Radio has an immigration debate series where all of their stories on immigration can be found in one place. Because the stories were originally aired on the radio this is an especially accessible source for anyone with a visual impairment or someone who prefers to learn through audio.
Here you'll find public opinion polls about immigration in the United States.
- The U.S. Immigration Debate by CFR:
Looking for an overview of the politics of the immigration debate in the U.S. and their impact on foreign policy? This page from the Council on Foreign Relations might be helpful for you.
- U.S. Immigration Since 1965 by History.com:
This page from History.com gives a short historical overview of immigration to the United States since 1965 up to the election of President Obama.
- The Immigration Debate by NPR
National Public Radio has an immigration debate series where all of their stories on immigration can be found in one place. Because the stories were originally aired on the radio this is an especially accessible source for anyone with a visual impairment or someone who prefers to learn through audio.
Academic Articles (public use):
Please check back soon! More sources are being added everyday.
Academic Articles (require subscription):
Please check back soon! More sources are being added everyday.
Data Sources:
Please check back soon! More sources are being added everyday.
Books:
Please check back soon! More sources are being added everyday.
Partisan Sources:
Please note, these are sources that we tend to examine more critically because they tend to be associated more with a certain political party.
- American Immigration Council (left)
- Immigration Policy Center (This is the AIC's research arm)
- Center for Immigration Studies (right)
- American Immigration Council (left)
- Immigration Policy Center (This is the AIC's research arm)
- Center for Immigration Studies (right)