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written by
Andrew Fraknoi
published by
the Astronomical Society of the Pacific
This document contains a selected list of resources for those wishing to examine some of the claims at the fringes of science. It is organized into categories that include astrology, alien spaceships, Doomsday, ancient astronauts, and claims that the moon landing was a hoax. The editor provides annotated links to online magazines and articles, as well as bibliographies of related print material.
3-5: 1B/E4. Scientists do not pay much attention to claims about how something they know about works unless the claims are backed up with evidence that can be confirmed, along with a logical argument.
1C. The Scientific Enterprise
6-8: 1C/M7. Accurate record-keeping, openness, and replication are essential for maintaining an investigator's credibility with other scientists and society.
9-12: 1C/H7. The strongly held traditions of science, including its commitment to peer review and publication, serve to keep the vast majority of scientists well within the bounds of ethical professional behavior. Deliberate deceit is rare and likely to be exposed sooner or later by the scientific enterprise itself. When violations of these scientific ethical traditions are discovered, they are strongly condemned by the scientific community, and the violators then have difficulty regaining the respect of other scientists.
AAAS Benchmark Alignments (1993 Version)
1. THE NATURE OF SCIENCE
B. Scientific Inquiry
1B (6-8) #3. What people expect to observe often affects what they actually do observe. Strong beliefs about what should happen in particular circumstances can prevent them from detecting other results. Scientists know about this danger to objectivity and take steps to try and avoid it when designing investigations and examining data. One safeguard is to have different investigators conduct independent studies of the same questions.
<a href="https://www.compadre.org/astronomy/items/detail.cfm?ID=9885">Fraknoi, Andrew. Astronomical Pseudo-Science: A Skeptic's Resource List. San Francisco: Astronomical Society of the Pacific, December 1, 2017.</a>
A. Fraknoi, (Astronomical Society of the Pacific, San Francisco, 2017), WWW Document, (http://www.fraknoi.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Pseudoscience-Guide-2018.pdf).
A. Fraknoi, Astronomical Pseudo-Science: A Skeptic's Resource List (Astronomical Society of the Pacific, San Francisco, 2017), <http://www.fraknoi.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Pseudoscience-Guide-2018.pdf>.
Fraknoi, A. (2017, December 1). Astronomical Pseudo-Science: A Skeptic's Resource List. Retrieved August 10, 2022, from Astronomical Society of the Pacific: http://www.fraknoi.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Pseudoscience-Guide-2018.pdf
Fraknoi, Andrew. Astronomical Pseudo-Science: A Skeptic's Resource List. San Francisco: Astronomical Society of the Pacific, December 1, 2017. http://www.fraknoi.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Pseudoscience-Guide-2018.pdf (accessed 10 August 2022).
Fraknoi, Andrew. Astronomical Pseudo-Science: A Skeptic's Resource List. San Francisco: Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 2017. 1 Dec. 2017. 10 Aug. 2022 <http://www.fraknoi.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Pseudoscience-Guide-2018.pdf>.
@misc{
Author = "Andrew Fraknoi",
Title = {Astronomical Pseudo-Science: A Skeptic's Resource List},
Publisher = {Astronomical Society of the Pacific},
Volume = {2022},
Number = {10 August 2022},
Month = {December 1, 2017},
Year = {2017}
}
%A Andrew Fraknoi %T Astronomical Pseudo-Science: A Skeptic's Resource List %D December 1, 2017 %I Astronomical Society of the Pacific %C San Francisco %U http://www.fraknoi.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Pseudoscience-Guide-2018.pdf %O text/html
%0 Electronic Source %A Fraknoi, Andrew %D December 1, 2017 %T Astronomical Pseudo-Science: A Skeptic's Resource List %I Astronomical Society of the Pacific %V 2022 %N 10 August 2022 %8 December 1, 2017 %9 text/html %U http://www.fraknoi.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Pseudoscience-Guide-2018.pdf
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