Seven Signs of Bogus Science

Published on 2003-03-11 by Mark VandeWettering

I recently spotted this article
on the subject of spotting bogus science. It’s enormously easy to be hoodwinked by science, and these seven rules can help you spot the quacks from real science.

1. The discoverer pitches the claim directly to the media.
   • The discoverer says that a powerful establishment is trying to suppress his or her work.
     • The scientific effect involved is always at the very limit of detection.
       • Evidence for the discovery is anectdotal.
         • The discoverer says a belief is credible because it has endured for centuries.
           • The discoverer has worked in isolation.

             • The discoverer must propose new laws of nature to explain an observation.

But then I’m just part of the scientific establishment working to keep ’em down.