As fatherhood and family leaders, we often mention research and statistics. Sure, we know quality research is critical to revealing the problems and solutions of father involvement. But, we sometimes take compelling statistics and run with them—never citing (or sometimes forgetting) from where the research was originally shared.

At Fatherhood CoMission, we want to be sure you know where to find helpful insight and well-researched advice related to fatherhood and families. We encourage you to review, share, and use the links in this post when you need help researching and considering your work. Here are 5 places to find trustworthy fatherhood research.

5 Trustworthy Fatherhood Research Sites

#1 Institute for Family Studies

The research on this site is most likely to resonate with the commission’s audience. Their original analyses of public data sets (e.g., Census) are remarkable. Allow me to highlight a few of their blog articles about fathers that feature those analyses. For example:

#2 Fatherhood Research and Practice Network

Their State-by-State Policy Report is amazing. There’s nothing like it that chronicles what states are and are not doing to advance fatherhood.

#3 Institute for Research on Poverty

They have a ton of research and recorded webinars on fathers/fatherhood in their Family Structure and Parenting research areas. For example:

#4 National Center for Family and Marriage Research

They provide father-related “quick-read-briefs” that, like IFS, analyze public data sets. They use simple, visuals (graphs) that are easy to digest. Here are a few examples of their great work, pulled from their Fathers area.

#5 National Fatherhood Initiative

I must mention NFI. Not only did I have the privilege of working there for five years, but I also leaned on NFI’s President, Christopher Brown, for help with this list.

Any list of fatherhood research must highlight NFI’s Father Facts. It’s the most comprehensive single source of data on the impact of father involvement.

NFI also has a few sections on their site built to Champion Fatherhood, house Research and Infographics, and there’s a newly-designed (and free) Learning Center.

Here are just a few pages you will find helpful when you visit NFI:

Sure, this list isn’t exhaustive, nor have I put the list in any order of priority, but I will say this, if you want to find research on and about dads, these are the high-quality, trustworthy places to find the most valuable fatherhood research. Before going anywhere else, use these links to find help for your videos, speeches, and research.

Additional Fatherhood Research on the FCM site