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Company signal research method

See the proposed inputs, sampling rules, exclusions, privacy safeguards, and reporting limits for company signal research method. No aggregate claim is published until the required evidence and review threshold is met.

Methodology explains a preparation signal; it does not turn the result into a hiring prediction.

Company signals should point back to a filing or dated event

Use SEC EDGAR and Open DART for source-linked disclosures. Keep hiring activity, financial facts, funding events, and employee sentiment as separate evidence types.

Which company changes are supported by an official filing, and which are only indirect signals?

Verified public facts

2026-08-27

SEC data APIs provide company submission history and extracted XBRL data as JSON without authentication or API keys.

How to use it
Linking a U.S. public company profile to its filing history and source documents.
What this data cannot establish
That every company has SEC filings or that a filing confirms workplace quality.
2026-08-27

SEC Company Facts returns a filer’s standardized XBRL concepts in one JSON response; comparisons still need aligned periods, units, and filing context.

How to use it
Source-linked financial trend tables for entities and concepts with compatible reporting context.
What this data cannot establish
A valuation, runway, funding round, or operating health score without further evidence.
2026-08-27

Open DART makes DART filing documents available as XML and exposes major disclosures, ownership reports, securities filings, and periodic-report data through APIs.

How to use it
Linking a Korean disclosure subject to filing dates, report types, and original documents.
What this data cannot establish
A complete private-company profile or a prediction of future hiring.
2026-08-27

Open DART provides major accounts, full financial statements, source XBRL files, and major financial ratios for covered periodic reports.

How to use it
Source-linked Korean company financial tables with filing and amendment dates.
What this data cannot establish
That the regulator guarantees accuracy or completeness; Open DART explicitly assigns responsibility to the filer.

Synthetic company-signal example

Synthetic example for interpretation practice—not an observed Refresh result.

Scenario input
Example only: one legal entity reports a filing for fiscal 2025 while the brand operates several entities.
Calculation and interpretation
Attach the signal to the filing entity and fiscal period.
Decision this supports
Use it to form a question about that entity
Comparability limit
Do not assign it to the whole brand or compare it with a calendar-year figure.
Research protocol and unpublished result fields

How the data is handled

  1. Resolve the entity

    Store the regulator identifier, legal name, former names, market, and source jurisdiction before attaching a filing.

  2. Keep the event trail

    Attach the filing identifier, filed date, reporting period, amendment status, and original document to each signal.

Definitions that travel with the result

Filed fact
A value or event present in a regulator-hosted filing, identified by entity, filing, period, and source URL.
Indirect signal
An observation such as a job posting or review that may add context but does not establish a financial or legal fact.

Results that still require observed data

Source-linked company timeline

What dated, material company events can be traced to an original filing?

Awaiting observed data
Required result fields
  • Entity identifier

    A source-native identifier such as CIK or DART corp_code.

    string · required
  • Entity name

    The legal or filing name attached to the source identifier.

    string · required
  • Filing identifier

    The filing accession or receipt number used to open the source document.

    string · required
  • Filing date

    The date the regulator received or disseminated the filing.

    date · required
  • Reporting period

    The fiscal period represented by the filing or fact.

    string · required
  • Source URL

    The exact page or record used for the observation.

    string · required
  • Category

    A documented category with a stable definition.

    string · required
  • Observed at

    The date Refresh retrieved or checked the record.

    date · required
Publish only when
Publish only after entity matching and amendment checks; link every event to its original filing.
Awaiting observed data
No company signal is shown until the entity and original source are verified.

What this data cannot establish

  • A filing can be accurate for its stated period and still be a poor proxy for current team conditions.
  • Absence of a filing is not proof that an event did not happen, especially for private companies or non-material events.

How to use it

  • Open the filing and read the reporting period before treating a signal as current.

Official data sources

  • EDGAR submissions and XBRL data APIsU.S. Securities and Exchange Commission2026-08-27
    Coverage
    Public filing history by filer and standardized XBRL facts from financial statements, delivered as JSON.
    Boundary
    Filing data describes what an entity disclosed. Periods, units, taxonomies, amendments, and entity identity must be reconciled before comparison.
  • Open DART corporate disclosure APIFinancial Supervisory Service2026-08-27
    Coverage
    DART filing documents, major disclosure items, ownership reports, and periodic-report financial data.
    Boundary
    Filers are responsible for their statements. Corrected filings can change values, and coverage depends on disclosure obligations and reporting format.

Frequently asked questions

Read the result with its method and limits.

Use the relevant methodology before deciding which finding to act on.