All submissions go to [email protected]. Use a subject line identifying the type: "Correction — [output title]", "Source evidence — [topic]", or "Category suggestion — [name]". Include your disclosed relationship to the subject. Submissions without a disclosure are returned for completion before review begins.
Submission types
Brightfield Research accepts three types of submissions through the evidence pathway: corrections to published research, source evidence that supplements or challenges existing outputs, and category suggestions for new research coverage.
Challenge a specific factual claim in a published output. The most actionable submission type — a well-supported correction results in a documented change to the published output and a changelog entry.
Provide documentation or data that supplements existing research without necessarily correcting a specific error. May address evidence gaps or add context to an existing assessment.
Propose a new market segment for Brightfield Research coverage. Reviewed quarterly against the four coverage initiation criteria.
Corrections
A correction submission challenges a specific factual claim in a published Brightfield research output on the basis that the claim is incorrect, outdated, or unsupported by the evidence cited. A well-supported correction results in a documented change to the published output and a changelog entry.
What to include in a correction submission
Quote the exact text from the published output that you believe is incorrect. Include the URL of the page and the section heading.
Provide the source URL, publication date, and the specific passage or data point. The evidence must be publicly accessible or submitted as an attachment.
Identify which of Brightfield's seven evidence classes the contradicting evidence falls into. Class 1 (direct documentation from the organization) and Class 2 (independent review signals) carry the most weight for most claim types.
State what you believe the correct claim is, supported by the evidence you are providing.
See the Disclosure requirement section below. Submissions without a disclosure are returned for completion.
What happens after a correction is submitted
The editorial desk reviews correction submissions against the published proof standard for the type of claim being challenged. If the submitted evidence meets the applicable standard, the correction is accepted and applied. The relevant published output is updated, a disclosure of the correction is added to the output page, and a changelog entry is recorded. If the submitted evidence does not meet the applicable standard, the submission is acknowledged but not incorporated. In either case, the editorial desk responds to the submitter with the outcome.
Source evidence
A source evidence submission provides documentation, references, or data that supplements existing Brightfield research without necessarily correcting a specific factual error. Source evidence may address evidence gaps identified in a published output, provide additional Class 1 documentation from a covered organization, or supply Class 4 community evidence that adds context to an existing assessment.
What to include in a source evidence submission
Identify the published report or the evidence gap the submission addresses.
Provide the source URL, publication date, and the specific passage or data relevant to the coverage area.
Identify which of Brightfield's seven evidence classes the submitted material falls into.
Explain which section, claim, or evidence gap the submitted material addresses and how it affects the assessment.
See the Disclosure requirement section below.
Source evidence that is accepted by the editorial desk may be incorporated into the next scheduled review of the relevant output. Accepted evidence does not guarantee a change to the published output's conclusions, only that the evidence will be considered in the review cycle.
Category suggestions
A category suggestion proposes a new market segment for Brightfield Research coverage. Category suggestions are reviewed against four coverage initiation criteria: demonstrable market demand, available public evidence, meaningful evaluation complexity, and a defensible research question.
What to include in a category suggestion
What market segment are you proposing? Define it clearly, including what is in scope and what is excluded.
What specific, answerable question do you believe Brightfield research should address for this category? Descriptive requests ("cover this category") are less useful than evaluative questions ("which approaches in this category best serve mid-market organizations facing X challenge?").
What signals indicate that professional decision-makers are actively seeking evaluation guidance? Search volume estimates, community discussion references, procurement frequency data, or analyst coverage are all relevant.
What public sources of evidence exist that would support structured research? Include examples of the types of documentation, review data, and community discussion available.
See the Disclosure requirement section below.
Disclosure requirement
All submissions must include a disclosure of the submitter's relationship to the covered organization or proposed category. This requirement is non-negotiable and applies regardless of whether the submission is a correction, source evidence, or category suggestion.
The disclosure should identify:
- Whether you are employed by, contracted to, or otherwise affiliated with the covered organization or an organization that has a commercial interest in the category.
- Whether you have a financial interest (equity, advisory compensation, referral arrangement) in any organization that would benefit from the submission's acceptance.
- Whether you are submitting on behalf of a public relations, communications, or marketing firm representing a covered organization.
- Whether you have no material relationship to the covered organization or category.
A submission that does not include a relationship disclosure will be returned for completion before review begins. The disclosure requirement exists because relationship context affects how submitted evidence is weighted. Class 6 evidence (submitted evidence from interested parties) is assessed differently from Class 1 through Class 5 evidence, and the weight given depends on the submitter's relationship to the subject.
Disclosed relationships do not automatically disqualify a submission. Evidence from an organization about its own documented capabilities is Class 1 evidence and is treated as such — authoritative for claims about what the organization asserts about itself. The requirement is disclosure, not independence.
Review process and timelines
All submissions received at [email protected] are acknowledged. The acknowledgment confirms receipt and identifies whether the submission is complete or requires additional information.
Complete correction submissions are reviewed within fifteen business days of acknowledgment. The initial review assesses whether the submitted evidence meets the applicable proof standard for the challenged claim. Complex submissions may take longer; the editorial desk will communicate an expected timeline if the review will exceed fifteen business days.
Source evidence is reviewed in the next applicable review cycle for the relevant output. Category suggestions are reviewed quarterly against the coverage initiation criteria. Timelines for these submission types are longer and less predictable than correction submissions.
The editorial desk communicates the outcome of all reviewed submissions to the submitter. For accepted corrections, the outcome communication identifies what changed, why, and where the correction is documented. For declined submissions, the outcome communication identifies the basis for the decision.
What submitting does not guarantee
A category suggestion, even one that meets all four coverage initiation criteria, does not guarantee that Brightfield will initiate coverage. Coverage decisions are made by the editorial desk based on available editorial capacity, research priority, and the overall research agenda.
Evidence submitted by an organization or its representatives will be assessed on its merits against the applicable evidence class standard. If accepted, it becomes part of the evidence base for the relevant research output. It does not guarantee that the output's conclusions will be modified in a direction favorable to the submitter.
The editorial desk retains full discretion over how submitted evidence is weighted, how it is incorporated into published outputs, and what conclusions follow from its acceptance. A submission that is accepted as evidence does not determine the editorial conclusion that results from it.
A correction submission that identifies a plausible error must meet the applicable proof standard for the challenged claim before the correction is accepted. A submission that identifies a potential error without providing sufficient evidence to establish the correct version of the claim does not result in a correction.
How to submit
All submissions are sent by email. Use a clear subject line that identifies the submission type: "Correction — [output title]", "Source evidence — [topic]", or "Category suggestion — [category name]". Include all required elements identified in the relevant section above. Attach supporting documents where the source is not publicly accessible online.
Brightfield Research does not maintain a web form for evidence submissions. Email is the designated channel to ensure submissions are received by the editorial desk and processed through the documented review workflow.
This submission process is designed for public evidence that can be assessed against documented standards. Brightfield Research cannot review confidential submissions, sealed documents, or non-public proprietary materials. If your evidence cannot be disclosed in the submission or referenced by publicly accessible URL, it cannot be incorporated into published research.