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Should you believe the information you’re being told?

Is this expert a credible source of information?

Other examples

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Sorry, that wasn’t the right answer

Later in the same interview, Patrick Moore claims that it’s safe to drink the weed killer but then refuses to do so himself. His actions are not in line with his own advice — a sign of unreliability.

Do you want to know more?

Before taking an expert’s recommendation, ask yourself: does the expert make sense? Do they make contradictory claims — do they say one thing and then do the opposite?

How can you decide to trust what an expert says? Here are some questions you can ask:

How do they respond to criticism by other experts? Are they willing to change their mind or admit that they were wrong? ¹ Do they seem to care about finding the right answer to a question or are they more interested in proving that their answer is the best?²
Do they show signs of social or personal bias?
Do they go against scientific consensus without justifying their views to other scientists?
Do they use inflammatory rhetoric, exaggerate the importance of their claims, or engage in science hype? ^{3, 4, 5, 6}

Additional Resources

Why w e tru st experts – even when they admit they don’t know the answer The Conversation
Scie nce feedback, fact checking site.
Sp inn in g the Genome: Why Science Hype Matters
Ethics of H yp e and Bias in Science
Exaggerat ed headline shock https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2022/11/how-demagogues-wield-social-media/
How demagogue s wi eld social m edia

Well done – you were right!

Later in the same interview, Patrick Moore claims that it’s safe to drink the weed killer but then refuses to do so himself. His actions are not in line with his own advice — a sign of unreliability.

Do you want to know more?

Before taking an expert’s recommendation, ask yourself: does the expert make sense? Do they make contradictory claims — do they say one thing and then do the opposite?

How can you decide to trust what an expert says? Here are some questions you can ask:

How do they respond to criticism by other experts? Are they willing to change their mind or admit that they were wrong? ¹ Do they seem to care about finding the right answer to a question or are they more interested in proving that their answer is the best? 2
Do they show signs of social or personal bias?
Do they go against scientific consensus without justifying their views to other scientists?
Do they use inflammatory rhetoric, exaggerate the importance of their claims, or engage in science hype? ^{3, 4, 5, 6}

Additional Resources

Why we trust experts – even when they admit they don’t know the answer The Conversation
Science feedback, fact checking site.
Spinning the Genome: Why Science Hype Matters
Ethics of Hype and Bias in Science
Exaggerated headline shock
How demagogues wield social media

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