Evaluating Science-based Claims
Educator resources
Data reporting
Learn how to recognize science-based claims and assess their credibility; explore why people resist and deny science; and gain the skills to evaluate science journalism.
Learning objectives
- I can differentiate between science-based claims and nonscience claims.
- I can explain why science is never 100% certain about anything and why this is one of its strengths.
- I can differentiate between a scientific hypothesis and a scientific theory.
- I can explain what makes people vulnerable to pseudoscience and why some people doubt, resist and deny the scientific consensus about some topics.
- I can evaluate science-based claims using plausibility judgments, evidence and the scientific consensus.
- I can recognize common problems with science news coverage.
Essential questions
- How can people know which science-based claims are worthy of acceptance?
- What is science? Why is it a reliable way of knowing things about the natural world?
- What makes people doubt or resist science? Or what makes science misinformation seem “right”?
- How should I decide which claims and pieces of information about science topics to trust?
- Why do people sometimes believe hypotheses that are not supported by evidence?
- How do scientists attempt to identify real associations/causes without falling for false associations/causes?
- Can scientists ever avoid error entirely?
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