Warning signs of pseudoscientific claims:
- Explanations are made up after the fact to fit whatever outcomes are observed.
- Scientific-sounding terms or jargon are used in imprecise, incorrect, or undefined ways.
- Statistics are presented in decontextualized ways, often without properly referencing the source.
- Links and references (if they are provided at all) are internal and do not take you to sources outside the publisher or website.
- Cited evidence is anecdotal or ad hoc and does not come from studies that systematically gathered empirical evidence.
- There are built-in explanations for cases when the idea fails to explain others’ results. (In other words, it’s hard to disprove the idea.)
- Proponents often claim they have been persecuted or silenced by the scientific community.
- Information is presented as special or secret insights available only to the privileged few who have taken the time (or spent the money) to learn about it.
- Findings are not published by reputable sources like peer-reviewed scientific journals, and their claims are reported in obscure news sources.
- Cited experts do not have recognized credentials or they lack qualifications in the field relevant to their claims.
- Ideas from outside the realm of science are presented as scientifically established.
Read here (Biologos, Jan 4, 2021)
