Learning Path: Researcher
Who This Is For
Academic researchers, think tank analysts, policy researchers, data journalists, and graduate students studying democratic erosion, authoritarianism, civil resistance, political finance, or related topics. This path emphasizes the Patriot University research corpus, methodology documentation, and the speech and accountability databases.
Learning Sequence
Step 1: The Full Tool Catalog
Read: knowledgebase/investigative-tools/tool-catalog/ (all files)
Start here for a comprehensive inventory of 176 research tools organized by category. Includes tools for corporate research, court records, financial disclosures, satellite imagery, network analysis, document ingestion, and more.
Key files:
tools-volume-a.md,tools-volume-b.md,tools-volume-c.md— alphabetical entriesby-category/— 38 category-specific tool lists
Step 2: Research Methodologies
Read all 8 files in: knowledgebase/investigative-tools/methodologies/
Eight structured methodologies used in civic accountability and investigative research:
| Methodology | Focus |
|---|---|
| Methodology — Corporate and Financial Investigation | Following corporate structures and financial flows |
| Methodology — Evidence Preservation | Chain of custody and digital evidence standards |
| Methodology — Identity Investigation (Ethical OSINT) | Ethical OSINT for public-interest identity research |
| Methodology — Media Verification | Photo, video, and web content verification |
| Methodology — Network Mapping | Relationship graphs and influence mapping |
| Methodology — Public Records Research | FOIA, court records, administrative data |
| Methodology — Source Protection | Protecting sources and research subjects |
| Methodology — Timeline Construction | Building chronological evidence records |
Step 3: Information Sources Reference
Read: knowledgebase/information-sources.md Read: knowledgebase/regulatory-legislative-executive-sources.md
Comprehensive source directories: academic databases, government data portals, regulatory and legislative tracking services, and executive branch monitoring tools.
Step 4: Speech Corpus
Read all 13 files in: knowledgebase/speech-corpus/
The Patriot University speech analysis corpus: methodology for analyzing political rhetoric, authoritarian marker detection framework, comparative baselines, linguistic features, and primary source databases.
Key files:
sc-overview.md— corpus overview and purpose- Analytical Framework — Rhetorical Analysis — rhetorical analysis framework
- Analytical Framework — Linguistic Features — linguistic marker taxonomy
- Comparative Baselines — historical comparative data
- Source files for American Presidency Project, Factbase, GDELT, HuggingFace, Internet Archive, Rev transcripts
Step 5: Democratic Erosion and Accountability
Read: knowledgebase/constitutional-violations-overview-2025-2026.md Read: Conflicts of Interest Matrix — Trump 2.0 Administration & Movement Network Read: The Expanding Circle of Cruelty: What the Trump Administration’s Treatment of the Vulnerable Tells Us About the Future of Average Americans Read: Democratic Collapse Scenario Planning and Survival Guide
The research corpus on democratic backsliding, authoritarian consolidation, and governance pathology in the current US context.
Step 6: Truth and Reconciliation Academic Frameworks
Read all 16 files in: knowledgebase/truth-reconciliation/
The Patriot University truth and reconciliation research corpus. Covers international comparative cases (South Africa, Argentina, Chile, Colombia), academic frameworks, and US-specific design considerations.
Key files:
- Truth and Reconciliation — Overview — overview and comparative context
- Truth and Reconciliation — Academic Frameworks — academic research on TRC effectiveness
- Truth and Reconciliation — Comparative Effectiveness — what works and what doesn’t
- Truth and Reconciliation — International Cases — case studies by country
- Truth and Reconciliation — US Context and Design Constraints — US-specific design challenges
Step 7: Population Research and Behavioral Analysis
Read: US Population Personas: Oppose-to-Support Spectrum Read: Shifting Voters Read: Voters For Narcissists Read: Narcissistic President
Research on the social psychology of authoritarian populism: voter segmentation, the psychology of support for narcissistic leaders, and voter behavior under democratic stress.
Key Reference Documents
| Document | Use |
|---|---|
investigative-tools/tool-catalog/tools.yaml |
Machine-readable tool catalog SSOT |
| Conflicts of Interest Matrix — Trump 2.0 Administration & Movement Network | Conflict of interest research |
speech-corpus/sc-overview.md |
Speech corpus entry point |
| Truth and Reconciliation — Overview | TRC research entry point |
information-sources.md |
Source index |
influential-authors.md |
Key academic sources |
Related Use-Case Playbooks
- Researching People — identity research methodology
- Researching Companies — corporate research methodology
- Researching Conflicts of Interest — financial conflict methodology
- Truth and Reconciliation Archiving — documentation standards