Questions tagged [notability]

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Do the requirements of an old claim change if the claim relates specifically to current events in that time period and not timeless scientific fact?

I know that generally, old claims need to still be notable today to be allowable here. This makes a whole lot of sense in that it isn't worth debunking obsolete scientific theories that haven't been ...
Robert Columbia's user avatar
1 vote
3 answers
114 views

Is the existence of a regulation an implied claim that it is effective?

There are a lot of laws, regulations, etc. out there that seem to imply without stating that they are effective, with the argument being that the legislature, regulatory agency, or other authority ...
Robert Columbia's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
56 views

To what extent is a notable claim of "we don't know" in scope?

I follow some YouTube channels on classic video gaming (retrogaming). Several of these channels have published videos on a certain product that was hyped in the marketplace in the early 1990's as an ...
Robert Columbia's user avatar
-3 votes
1 answer
97 views

Claims involving personal information about notable people - Part2 (7 years later)

So what's the verdict here? Claims involving personal information about notable people about https://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/31738/has-emma-watson-stated-or-been-credibly-reported-to-have-...
BCLC's user avatar
  • 469
4 votes
3 answers
134 views

Are statements by artificial intelligence constructs notable?

The Stack Exchange Network has been abuzz recently over the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) chat bots such at ChatGPT to generate content suitable for posting as answers. Some sites, notably Stack ...
Robert Columbia's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
22 views

Is it a problem when the original claim has ambiguities?

I've seen this happen a few times on this site, most recently with my own question Are 20% of automobile drivers under the influence of marijuana? . Some users asked me about whether I expected an ...
Robert Columbia's user avatar
0 votes
3 answers
77 views

If it's a daft idea is the author no longer notable?

On Skeptics there is currently a question, whether the sun revolves round the earth. This idea was floated by someone I never heard of, who is, apparently, a "notable source". Perfectly good ...
RedSonja's user avatar
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5 votes
1 answer
100 views

What kind of sources are acceptable to demonstrate the "existence" of a claim made on a History Chanel type program?

If I want to request input on a claim made on a television program for entertainment purposes rather than from a scientific source. For example, Ancient Aliens, Curse of Oak Island, etc., what kind of ...
Aaargh Zombies's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
92 views

Should hype-train-riding pre-print articles be considered notable?

Inspired by a comment on this question. Some research basically re-examines some previous claim with slightly changed methods or in slightly changed conditions, acting on assumption that previous ...
Danila Smirnov's user avatar
10 votes
2 answers
199 views

How to deal with re-surfaced old questions that don't meet today's standards?

I've noticed a number of old questions that have resurfaced as active due to edits either to the questions or to answers. Many of them don't meet the contemporary criteria for on-topic questions as ...
Schmuddi's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
97 views

Can notability be scientifically quantified?

There is a discussion about whether it is appropiate to source racist sources, see Antisemitic or Racist Sources. On one hand it may be problematic to indirectly promote hateful content and subject to ...
mazin's user avatar
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3 votes
4 answers
155 views

Has there ever been a notable claim that justifies a question that starts with "Has there ever been"?

I saw a Youtube video about Geraldine Elizabeth Carmichael, a convicted fraudster that happened to be transgender. The narrator in the video mentioned that Some People claim that people might ...
HAEM's user avatar
  • 1,159
0 votes
1 answer
92 views

Is a private communication from a celebrity notable?

One of our foundational rules on notability is that claims made by celebrities are automatically, ipso facto considered notable by the very fact that they were made by celebrities. Most of the ...
Robert Columbia's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
47 views

What does it take to prove that statement on a data website is notable?

For example, Schmuddi argues that Knoema.com is "not notable". If I google for "Spain number of deaths", it's in the first page of hits on Google (4th ranged link): which is ...
Fizz's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
63 views

Is notability a sufficient (not just a necessary) condition to ask a question here?

Stemming from this meta-exchange and also in view of some recent disputes on a q, is notability a sufficient (not just necessary) condition to ask a question here? As defined A claim is 'notable' ...
Fizz's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
63 views

What makes a social media post notable enough to be the topic of a question?

Currently there is not really any guidance on here on what makes a claim notable. There's obviously "it was said by Trump/Biden/Johnson/Cook/Rihanna/insert A or B-list celebrity here" and &...
Nzall's user avatar
  • 1,729
1 vote
1 answer
55 views

Can survey results be notable claims?

The question Does illegal immigration in the usa strain social services? quotes survey results, asks Is this true?, then follows up with the more specific question What is the impact in the USA of ...
user avatar
14 votes
1 answer
153 views

Does a notable claim remain notable if notable sources remove the claim?

Consider the situation: A notable source posts an article including an incredible claim. Someone links to the source as a notable claim, asking a question on Skeptics. At some point in the future, ...
gerrit's user avatar
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-1 votes
1 answer
149 views

Should there be stronger notability criteria for non-public figures?

Related questions: Should there be stronger notability criteria for claims about living people? and Claims involving personal information about notable people and Victims of crime In Did a man get ...
Andrew Grimm's user avatar
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0 votes
0 answers
32 views

When should a statement made in a fictional work be considered a notable claim? [duplicate]

This question asks about something stated in a recent episode of Doctor Who. Although it was in a fictional context the statement sounded like a statement of fact (and indeed turned out to be true). ...
Paul Johnson's user avatar
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11 votes
3 answers
213 views

Can a certain numbers of "likes" or "shares" establish a notable claim (or: Are memes notable)?

The question Is the crime rate for undocumented immigrants “considerably lower” than that of Trump campaign staffers? has received a close vote with a comment saying that likes on Facebook do not ...
tim's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
164 views

Questions(s) which are really about (unpublished) counter-theory

I noticed today a question, which was only lightly edited by a mod, so apparently there was nothing blatantly wrong with it, but which to me seems to fit the following pattern: quote notable claim ...
Fizz's user avatar
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3 votes
4 answers
163 views

Do we need a "widely believed" filter for claims made by celebrities? [duplicate]

Currently almost everything a celebrity says qualifies as notable here. The only exceptions that I've seen applied (until yesterday) are: what a celebrity says in fiction (e.g. in a magician's show ...
Fizz's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
45 views

Is indirect notability important?

A recent question can essentially be reduced to "Is the claim made in this BBC article true?" In particular, a BBC article included a claim about something that Linus Pauling allegedly said. An edit ...
Kamil Drakari's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
120 views

Is the question "Is Gina Haspel wanted in Europe?" sufficiently improved to re-open?

The question Is Gina Haspel wanted in Europe? was closed for lacking a notable source. I've edited it to trace how the claim in question came to my attention. Is this sufficient to get the question re-...
GreenMatt's user avatar
  • 771
0 votes
1 answer
103 views

Wash away the nutrients - is not a notable claim!

Why the question "Is drinking water during a meal bad for you?" wasn't closed as it doesn't offer any notable claim? Can someone explain why this question was so up-voted if it doesn't offer any ...
Grasper's user avatar
  • 3,315
13 votes
2 answers
745 views

How should we deal with claims that only appear in article headlines?

A common occurrence that we commonly encounter on Skeptics† is when the headline of a newsaper or magazine article contains a claim that is not supported by the rest of the article. † ...
Oddthinking's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
52 views

Should information about the notability of a claimant/claim not be put in comments?

If someone questions the notability of a claim, or the claimant, and someone else wishes to assert the notability of the claim/claimant, should they avoid adding a comment, and instead edit the ...
Andrew Grimm's user avatar
  • 38.9k
1 vote
2 answers
84 views

When is a single person's claim notable?

If Donald Trump makes a claim it is notable. If my grandfather does, it is not. Unless my grandfather is Donald Trump (he was not). How notable does an individual need to be before we accept that ...
gerrit's user avatar
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2 votes
2 answers
215 views

Victims of crime

Further to this chat, I find topics about non-notorious individual victims of crime distateful. I understand it may be in the public interest, and/or relevant to public policy (e.g. because of police ...
ChrisW's user avatar
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9 votes
2 answers
221 views

How to prove notability when addressing a claim very common within an internet subculture that doesn't have a clear notable person making the claim?

There is a very specific claim I want to run through skeptics. This claim is very common within an internet subculture. I would like to get a through and definitive answer to it, but I'm having ...
dsollen's user avatar
  • 10.1k
30 votes
3 answers
1k views

Should off-the-cuff claims by Donald Trump be considered notable without evidence that people actually believe them?

At the risk of offending EVERYONE of all political spectrums, should we really accept tweets by Trump as "notable" without explicit evidence that people actually believe them and don't just treat them ...
user5341's user avatar
  • 31.1k
2 votes
2 answers
165 views

Does the non-notable close reason apply to claims that already ostensibly provide evidence?

Are the top selling prescription drugs only effective for one in five patients? The claim has a link to an actual peer reviewed article that supports it. It is pointless to ask a question that ...
user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
110 views

Can we make a community decision regarding an "interestingness/consequence/relevance/etc." test?

I have recently noticed users introducing an "interestingness" or "consequential" test in addition to or in place of our notability requirement. That result doesn't sound very interesting The claim [....
user avatar
2 votes
3 answers
199 views

Can a claim be made based on a URL of an article, even if meaningful information differs between the URL and the article text?

Can a notable claim be made based on a URL of an article, even if meaningful information differs between the URL and the actual claim in the article text? This just came up as a topic in comments, ...
user5341's user avatar
  • 31.1k
1 vote
1 answer
62 views

Is an opinion of supermodel considered "notable" without showing more people believe it?

Do "nightshades" and tomatoes cause inflammation? is a question that is based on a stated opinion of a supermodel. On one hand, it's likely that a lot of people know of that opinion, ...
user5341's user avatar
  • 31.1k
0 votes
2 answers
161 views

Why are strawman claims allowed to stand? [duplicate]

This question: Did Bernie Sanders never "earn a steady paycheck" before 40? Makes for a nice NHQ fodder, due to the topic. Except the "claim" it cites is 100% strawman. The ...
user5341's user avatar
  • 31.1k
22 votes
5 answers
470 views

Claims involving personal information about notable people

This is relevant to the question https://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/31738/does-emma-watson-have-adhd I don't dispute that this is a claim made by an notable source, and that Emma Watson is ...
Nate Eldredge's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
121 views

Do rhetoric and hyperbole qualify as "notable claims?"

I've been curious about this question. The claims it quotes were made by persons during the course of political speech-making, and intended to illicit responses from those gathered to listen. In ...
cobaltduck's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
91 views

Can implied allegations be referenced without direct notability?

There are a number of very common implications I hear often that I may want to ask a question on, but which are just indirect enough to be a little harder to find quotes for. I'm wondering at what ...
dsollen's user avatar
  • 10.1k
1 vote
1 answer
111 views

What should be done about properly answered non-notable old questions?

Example : Did Nazis use alternatives to Zyklon B? On one hand, it's NOT notable, by any stretch ("according to my dad"). On the other hand, it's already well-answered, a while back. So the main ...
user5341's user avatar
  • 31.1k
3 votes
1 answer
39 views

Is "belief in the claim" part of notability time constrained?

I was reading a Meta question about "Flat Earth" question, and the answers (at least one) seem to be predicated on a time constraint: Several people believe (note present tense) the claim I think ...
user5341's user avatar
  • 31.1k
3 votes
1 answer
90 views

Is there an inconsistency in notability requirements?

I have observed in the past moderators closing the question because it is not notable enough, specifically posted on blog/social media that doesn't show much viewership. However, others seem to be ...
user5341's user avatar
  • 31.1k
1 vote
1 answer
35 views

Is an answer on another SE site a good source for an answer?

This upvoted answer consists entirely of a quote from this Physics.SE answer. While I certainly don't doubt the correctness of the answer, does it meet the Skeptics requirement of providing answers ...
gerrit's user avatar
  • 17.6k
9 votes
1 answer
485 views

Should there be stronger notability criteria for claims about living people?

Borrowing from Wikipedia's Biographies of Living People policies, should there be a be stronger notability criteria for claims about living people? I'm worried that skeptics could be used for ...
Andrew Grimm's user avatar
  • 38.9k
3 votes
0 answers
63 views

How was it decided that this question is non-notable? [closed]

https://skeptics.stackexchange.com/q/22831/5582 This question is basically non-notable... As far as I can tell, it meets our standards of notability.
user avatar
1 vote
4 answers
119 views

How much controversy must surround a claim?

How much, if any, controversy must surround a claim in order for it to be on topic here? I've heard this worded as requiring that the question present a "real problem". What is our test for ...
user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
64 views

What if I don't have an online or easily accessible reference?

I have a question about something I'm skeptical about, and being a SE user, I naturally immediately checked the Help Center and FAQ. I found this FAQ post, and I'd like a bit of clarification for my ...
Doorknob's user avatar
  • 101
3 votes
3 answers
123 views

Does a notable claim in a question have to be definite?

I've asked a few questions that got arguments that that the notable claim is non-definite. Does a claim which says maybe or probably X belong on this site?
ike's user avatar
  • 4,950
2 votes
1 answer
39 views

Should we routinely link to PubMed for biology questions?

Many discussions are instigated by peer-reviewed academic publications, which are subsequently covered by popular media (for example, here). In this situation, it seems obvious to me the question ...
adam.r's user avatar
  • 1,411