The phrase "according to a startling" is not correct and usable in written English as it is incomplete and lacks context.
It could be used in a context where you are referencing a surprising piece of information or finding, but it needs to be followed by a noun or phrase that clarifies what is startling.
Example: "According to a startling report, the number of endangered species has increased dramatically this year."
Alternatives: "according to a surprising" or "based on a shocking".
Women are giving birth in prison cells without access to proper medical care, according to a startling report shared with the Guardian.
According to a startling new book, The Jung Cult: Origins of a charismatic movement, Jung's theories are not the work of a brilliant mind exploring long-forgotten myths and returning with insights that can make us all whole.
According to a startling and raw new biography, A Tiger Rose out of Georgia by Bob Mee, Flowers travelled 77,629 miles by car and train from 1922-27 for dozens of fights.
According to a startling new report by the Steps Coalition, a watchdog group, Mr. Johnson and thousands of other homeowners were shut out of the state's assistance program because their homes were destroyed by wind rather than water.
Fossil fuel companies are benefitting from global subsidies of $5.3tn£3.4tntn) a year, equivalent to $10m a minute every day, according to a startling new estimate by the International Monetary Fund.
Such was the prestige of Arabic learning in England, according to a startling passage here, that partisans of King Henry II, during the quarrel with Rome over Thomas Becket, threatened the king would convert to Islam.
Between 2008 and 2014, student loan debt rose a startling 84percentt, according to a study by Experian.
The audit will be published just two weeks after the Guardian's Colour of Power project showing that barely 3% of Britain's most powerful and influential people are from black and minority ethnic groups, according to a broad new analysis that highlights startling inequality despite decades of legislation to address discrimination.
While I was doing research for my new book, Not Your Mother's Retirement: Secrets for Today's Women to Live Fully During the Best Years of Life a startling statistic caught my eye: According to a study from Allianz Life Insurance, 49% of all women in the United States share a common fear: becoming a bag lady in their later years.
London state schools have undergone a "startling turnaround and are now the best in England" according to a study by the Financial Times newspaper.
