The most reliable sources for a business case study are documents a company had to publish: annual reports, regulator filings and court records. This page shows the source hierarchy Read Startup uses to verify each company decision, and where to find each source.
What are primary sources for a business case study?
Primary sources are original documents from the company or a regulator: annual reports, regulator filings, earnings call transcripts, court records and official press releases. They record what the company decided and reported, not someone’s summary of it.
A news article about a company’s results is a secondary source; the results filing itself is the primary source. Where both exist, we cite the filing.
How does Read Startup rank its sources?
Regulator filings come first because they carry legal liability, company releases and earnings calls second because they give the stated reasoning, and established reporting third, for context and for private companies.
| Tier | Source | Where to find it | Use for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Regulator filings and annual reports | SEC EDGAR (US), Companies House (UK), stock-exchange filings elsewhere | Figures |
| 2 | Company releases and earnings calls | Investor relations pages | The reason a company gave for a decision |
| 3 | Established reporting | Major business press | Context, and private companies |
Filing rules differ by country, so we name the regulator and the date every time. A company release is used for what the company says it did and why; it is never treated as proof that the outcome happened.
How do you source a private company with no filings?
Use funding announcements, any filings in other countries, and at least two independent reports that agree; anything calculated is labelled “Read Startup estimate” with its method.
- Start with what the company published. Funding announcements and official blog posts give dated, attributable figures.
- Look for filings in other countries. Many private companies file accounts in the UK, India, Singapore or the EU even when they file nothing in the US.
- Require two independent reports. A figure from one outlet is reported, not confirmed. We say so.
- Label every estimate. When we calculate a figure, it says “Read Startup estimate” and shows its inputs, so readers can redo the maths.
If you are writing your own case study, the same order works. Our editorial standards summarise the rules, and errors are fixed and logged on our Corrections Policy page.