Seven Warning Signs of Bogus Science

 
One of my readers (thanks Allyson) has directed me to an article on the Seven Warning Signs of Bogus Science. Most of them are familiar to skeptics but they deserve to be more widely publicized. Here are seven ways to recognize a kook.

1. The discoverer pitches the claim directly to the media.
2. The discoverer says that a powerful establishment is trying to suppress his or her work.
3. The scientific effect involved is always at the very limit of detection.
4. Evidence for a discovery is anecdotal.
5. The discoverer says a belief is credible because it has endured for centuries.
6. The discoverer has worked in isolation.
7. The discoverer must propose new laws of nature to explain an observation.

I'd like to add an eight criterion to this list.

8. The discoverer does not critically evaluate contrary evidence.