junk science
Fraudulent scientific claims
Junk science is research or data that fails to meet scientific standards—flawed methodology, cherry-picked evidence, or conclusions unsupported by the data.
The term often appears in legal and political contexts, where one side dismisses opposing evidence as junk science: The defense argued the forensic testimony was junk science.
Critics note the label is sometimes weaponized to discredit legitimate research that threatens commercial or ideological interests.
Fraudulent medical practice
- homeopathyDiluted-substance alternative medicine
- astrologyDivination by celestial positions
- phrenologySkull-bump personality assessment
- numerologyMystical significance of digits
parapsychology · cryptozoology · flat-earth · dowsing · reflexology · creationism · biorhythms · crystal healing
Deliberately untrue statement
- falsificationDeliberate alteration of truth
- plagiarismUnattributed use of others' work
- data manipulationChanging information dishonestly or technically
- cherry-pickingChoosing only supporting examples
conflicts of interest · retraction · misconduct · Wakefield · publication bias
Choosing only supporting examples
- anecdotal evidenceSupport from individual accounts
- false equivalenceFlawed comparison of unlike things
- moving goalpostsAltering criteria during evaluation
- straw manFake version to demolish
ad hominem · confirmation bias · motivated reasoning · sciencey · technobabble · credential inflation · appeal to authority
Biased information for influence
- disinformationIntentional deceptive falsehoods
- sensationalismOverhyped news coverage
- fearmongeringDeliberately spreading exaggerated threats
- spinRapid rotation around axis
distortion · clickbait · health scares · climate denial · antivax · 5G conspiracy · chemtrails · misrepresentation
Confirming accuracy of claims
- peer reviewExpert evaluation before publication
- replicationAct of duplicating precisely
- falsificationDeliberate alteration of truth
- retractionFormal withdrawal of statement
mythbusting · evidence-based · critical analysis · reproducibility · statistical significance · control group · blind study · meta-analysis
quackery
Fraudulent medical practice
- homeopathyDiluted-substance alternative medicine
- astrologyDivination by celestial positions
- phrenologySkull-bump personality assessment
numerology · parapsychology · cryptozoology · flat-earth · dowsing · reflexology · creationism · biorhythms · crystal healing · conversion therapy
fabrication
Deliberately untrue statement
- falsificationDeliberate alteration of truth
- plagiarismUnattributed use of others' work
- data manipulationChanging information dishonestly or technically
cherry-picking · conflicts of interest · retraction · misconduct · Wakefield · publication bias
cherry-picking
Choosing only supporting examples
- anecdotal evidenceSupport from individual accounts
- false equivalenceFlawed comparison of unlike things
- moving goalpostsAltering criteria during evaluation
straw man · ad hominem · confirmation bias · motivated reasoning · sciencey · technobabble · credential inflation · appeal to authority
propaganda
Biased information for influence
- disinformationIntentional deceptive falsehoods
- sensationalismOverhyped news coverage
- fearmongeringDeliberately spreading exaggerated threats
spin · distortion · clickbait · health scares · climate denial · antivax · 5G conspiracy · chemtrails · misrepresentation · false balance
fact-checking
Confirming accuracy of claims
- peer reviewExpert evaluation before publication
- replicationAct of duplicating precisely
- falsificationDeliberate alteration of truth
retraction · mythbusting · evidence-based · critical analysis · reproducibility · statistical significance · control group · blind study · meta-analysis · Snopes
- Misconceptionsmisconception, myth, fallacy, false belief, mistaken belief
- denialismclimate denial, Holocaust denial, vaccine denial, denialism, election denial
- misinformationmisinformation, disinformation, fake news, falsehoods, hoaxes
- anti-vaccineanti-vax, anti-vaxxer, anti-vaxxers, vaccine refusal, vaccine hesitancy
- medical skepticismanti-vaccination, anti-vaccine, vaccine hesitancy, quackery, snake oil
- injusticeinjustice, inequality, discrimination, bias, prejudice
junk sciencehard science
Empirically rigorous research field
empirical research · systematic research · clinical trials · meta-analyses · basic research
junk scienceintellectual honesty
Commitment to truth over ego
scientific integrity · ethical research · truth-seeking · impartial investigation
science, junk, scientist, scientific, junkyard, junked, junk mail, junky, junks