Zou Jingya, Yu Liang, Li Gang
[Purpose/significance] The evaluation of the value of intelligence is the foundation of open source intelligence work. International think tanks have not received attention or been considered as an important source of open source intelligence, and theoretical research lags behind practical requirements. Research on evaluation of open source intelligence from think tanks aims to make relevant theoretical supplements to open source intelligence research of think tanks and provide references for open source intelligence practices in the field of think tanks. [Method/process] Focusing on the perspective of intelligence collection, this paper used deductive methods to demonstrate that open source is an important prerequisite for international think tanks as a source of open source intelligence. On this basis, combined with the characteristics of international think tanks, this paper also concluded that the open source intelligence of international think tanks has affordances of professionalism, policy-oriented, early warning, evidence-based and data value, which provides theoretical basis for open source intelligence evaluation. And under the guidance of the evaluation methods of Admiralty Code, the paper built an open source intelligence evaluation framework of international think tanks. [Result/conclusion] In the open source intelligence evaluation framework of international think tanks, intelligence personnel and professionals in the field need to establish cooperation and jointly act as evaluators. At the same time, evaluation objects conclude both the evaluation of intelligence sources and the evaluation of intelligence content. The evaluation of intelligence sources should focus on the professionalism, independence and credibility of think tanks; and the evaluation of intelligence content should consider 8 key elements including authenticity, integrity, timeliness, predictability, practicality, counterintelligence, understandability, and traceability.