Examples from history are used to support claims from 9/11, as the author is a historian, and probably following the saying "history repeats itself" to show similarities between disasters and responses.
Newspaper atricles were also cited to show public response.
Most of the argument is developed through the Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) essays and reactions to the compilation. Laws, humanitarian efforts, and wars are also studied.
There are many citations, but the reference pages are not included, so it is not known what exactly the citations are, perhaps research papers or studies.
Many examples of responses to outbreaks are studied, and how regualtions stemmed from each outbreak, whether in animals, food industry, or vaccinations.
The arguments are supported by the stories told by individuals and families and cultural reasearch to help understand the stories.
The authors cite their own previous work and how rates of diseases and deaths changed. They also researched other programs and studies, similar to their own but in different areas or working on other issues. They also familiarized themselves with how things work within a physicians office - how diseases are presented, how promininent social issues may be, and other factors that the physician might see.
The argument is supported through research into political trends - the survivors gave up their own values to support anyone that could help them. There were interviews with the survivors and those living in the area - they dicussed how their lives changed, their inability to find work and their health issues that started immediately or soon after the disaster. The authors also did research of programs to help the survivors - looking at the compensation they could recieve, options for working, how to get healthcare, etc.
The author compares existing and previous nuclear regulation/safety/etc committees, analyzing differences between them and various shortcomings. This information is used to develop the author's idea of a more effective and safe oganization to enforce regulations and train an emergency response team.
The author also looked at how previous emergencies were handled and what new regulations stemmed from each, as well as how those have worked since their implementation, and what more can be done.
The arguments are supported by many citations of other research and work that has been done on the various topics that are discussed. This involves looking at hard data that has been conclused, as well as qualitative data like risk factors and examples of disasters.
Thae laws are examined and explained to the reader. Examples of citations from physicians are also included with stories of the individual's journey and experiences.