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How do you judge the reputation of an expert?

Should Didier Raoult be trusted because of his high profile in the field?

Other examples

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Didier Raoult is the founder and former director of the Méditerranée Infection Institute in Marseille, France, and has published numerous scientific articles on infectious diseases. But since 2020, scientists in his field have accused him of breach of scientific integrity because of his questionable methods in coming up with Covid-19 remedies.

Do you want to know more?

Check the position of the expert in their institution and the reputation of the institution. Do they work for an organisation that is well-known or reputable, or for a special interest think tank? Was the expert fired from their job or forced to resign? How is the expert seen by their peers?

Here are some questions that you should consider when assessing an expert’s reputation.

Experts who are recognised for the quality of their work may later defend positions that conflict with scientific consensus, or may be criticised by their peers for questionable practices. What is the reputation of the researcher within their own scientific community? 1, 2, 3
What type of social media presence do they have? For instance, if they are on Twitter, check if other experts follow them. Watch out for experts who have a high number of social media followers but have little recognition or influence among their peers.
Do they work for a reputable institution and are they in good standing at those institutions?
Not all renowned scientists are still active in their fields of expertise when they are asked for advice, which may make them less reliable. You can check their records with Google Scholar and other academic search engines. Are their publications up-to-date? Have they made recent contributions to their field?
People may claim to be experts in a field, displaying degrees and affiliations to universities or research institutes, but they might still be discredited by the community of their peers. Scientists do not publicly discredit each other often, but when they do, it could be for good reasons. Can you find any evidence of such disputes in published news articles or reputable blogs?

Additional Resources

Example of scientific misconduct at Harvard: Disgrace: On Marc Hauser
Research misconduct: the poisoning of the well.
How to identify reliable research sources: Tips and checklists for researchers Researcher.Life

Additional information:

Overview of the scandal
Raoult under disciplinary hearing

Well done – you were right!

Didier Raoult is the founder and former director of the Méditerranée Infection Institute in Marseille, France, and has published numerous scientific articles on infectious diseases. But since 2020, scientists in his field have accused him of breach of scientific integrity because of his questionable methods in coming up with Covid-19 remedies.

Do you want to know more?

Check the position of the expert in their institution and the reputation of the institution. Do they work for an organisation that is well-known or reputable, or for a special interest think tank? Was the expert fired from their job or forced to resign? How is the expert seen by their peers?

Here are some questions that you should consider when assessing an expert’s reputation.

Experts who are recognised for the quality of their work may later defend positions that conflict with scientific consensus, or may be criticised by their peers for questionable practices. What is the reputation of the researcher within their own scientific community? ^{1, 2, 3}
What type of social media presence do they have? For instance, if they are on Twitter, check if other experts follow them. Watch out for experts who have a high number of social media followers but have little recognition or influence among their peers.
Do they work for a reputable institution and are they in good standing at those institutions?
Not all renowned scientists are still active in their fields of expertise when they are asked for advice, which may make them less reliable. You can check their records with Google Scholar and other academic search engines. Are their publications up-to-date? Have they made recent contributions to their field?
People may claim to be experts in a field, displaying degrees and affiliations to universities or research institutes, but they might still be discredited by the community of their peers. Scientists do not publicly discredit each other often, but when they do, it could be for good reasons. Can you find any evidence of such disputes in published news articles or reputable blogs?

Additional Resources

Example of scientific misconduct at Harvard: Disgrace: On Mar c Hau ser
Research misconduct: the poisoning of the well.
How to identify reliable research sources: Tips an d checklists for researchers Researcher.Life

Additional information:

Overview of the scandal
Raoult under disciplinary hearing

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