Based on the results of Osborn and colleagues and the need for greater knowledge of the environmental effects of shale-gas drilling and hydraulic fracturing, this paper offers six research recommendations to improve public confidence in shale‐gas extraction. The first four research recommendations address the presence of methane and other gases in drinking water and follow directly from the results of Osborn and colleagues. The fifth and sixth recommendations focus on issues of water quality and disposal associated with hydraulic fracturing. The final two policy recommendations address horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing more generally (see Section III). Interested readers should also examine the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s draft research plan examining the potential consequences of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources.