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The Debunking Handbook
The Debunking Handbook, a guide to debunking misinformation, is now freely available to download. Although there is a great deal of psychological research on misinformation, there's no summary of the literature that offers practical guidelines on the most effective ways of reducing the influence of myths. The Debunking Handbook boils the research down into a short, simple summary, intended as a guide for communicators in all areas (not just climate) who encounter misinformation.
9 pages, ebook
First published November 5, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
October 10, 2018
A quick, excellent document for everyone. It points out a lot of brain bugs & how to get around them. While it is aimed at those in the media, it's also a good self-help book if you honestly want to look at some of your own reactions & beliefs.
It's only 6 pages of text & available for free, so everyone should read it.
You can find it here:
https://skepticalscience.com/docs/Deb...
It's only 6 pages of text & available for free, so everyone should read it.
You can find it here:
https://skepticalscience.com/docs/Deb...
April 21, 2020
Read this for the #bookclub4m Library Science episode because correcting misinformation is relevant to my job, but unbeknownst to me I could have also read it for Climate Change month! Anyway, it was very short, clear, and it's available free online.
February 16, 2020
Ehhh... badly formatted and hard to read. Not engaging either. I have seen Youtube videos about these topics that were much better. The text is hard to read because the words are stretched out into equal length lines.
It's hard to really know what is true and what is their opinions because they are not good enough at giving sources for stuff. It's a good read, but largely forgettable. The points made may all be wrong for all I know as there is no clear and conclusive evidence for this.
It's hard to really know what is true and what is their opinions because they are not good enough at giving sources for stuff. It's a good read, but largely forgettable. The points made may all be wrong for all I know as there is no clear and conclusive evidence for this.
July 7, 2019
Short explanation, about how to react to misinformation effectively
December 30, 2019
Krótka broszura bardzo przydatna w erze fake-news i niekończących się dyskusji internetowych.
May 15, 2021
It's interesting to know how our mind works.
December 17, 2011
This handy little ebook weighs in at only 6* pages, and is a quick, useful read for skeptics everywhere.
To be honest, it will probably prove more helpful to those acting in a professional capacity than, say, your ordinary armchair skeptic. It is very much geared toward journalists, bloggers, and others of that sort who are active in trying to debunk the myths pervasive in our society. In this case, the focus is on climate change--that is, fighting the misinformation spewed forth from the ignorant blowholes of climate deniers--but the underlying principles laid out here could undoubtedly be applied to other subjects as well, such as pseudoscience, religion, or even politics.
At any rate, that's why I didn't give it more than two stars; because it's very narrow, and it's simply not going to do much for those of us who aren't into writing articles, or blogging, or whatever. However, it is still worth taking a few minutes of your time to read, regardless. There are several enlightening points, such as this:
"When people hear misinformation, they build a mental model, with the myth providing an explanation. When the myth is debunked, a gap is left in their mental model. To deal with this dilemma, people prefer an incorrect model over and incomplete model. In the absence of a better explanation, they opt for the wrong explanation."
If nothing else, keeping these things in mind may help you the next time you find yourself in a "debate" with someone who thinks they have all the answers because of a book of Bronze Age fairytales, or because Fox News told them so.
*There are technically 9 pages, but I don't count the cover, copyright page, or references.
To be honest, it will probably prove more helpful to those acting in a professional capacity than, say, your ordinary armchair skeptic. It is very much geared toward journalists, bloggers, and others of that sort who are active in trying to debunk the myths pervasive in our society. In this case, the focus is on climate change--that is, fighting the misinformation spewed forth from the ignorant blowholes of climate deniers--but the underlying principles laid out here could undoubtedly be applied to other subjects as well, such as pseudoscience, religion, or even politics.
At any rate, that's why I didn't give it more than two stars; because it's very narrow, and it's simply not going to do much for those of us who aren't into writing articles, or blogging, or whatever. However, it is still worth taking a few minutes of your time to read, regardless. There are several enlightening points, such as this:
"When people hear misinformation, they build a mental model, with the myth providing an explanation. When the myth is debunked, a gap is left in their mental model. To deal with this dilemma, people prefer an incorrect model over and incomplete model. In the absence of a better explanation, they opt for the wrong explanation."
If nothing else, keeping these things in mind may help you the next time you find yourself in a "debate" with someone who thinks they have all the answers because of a book of Bronze Age fairytales, or because Fox News told them so.
*There are technically 9 pages, but I don't count the cover, copyright page, or references.
February 15, 2017
For its length, it's an adequate introduction with concrete suggestions for debunking. However, I think the ratio of topic complexity to book length is WAY too high, suggesting this pamphlet is much too ambitious. I'd prefer a longer work on the same.
November 21, 2014
short, useful, to the point
August 29, 2021
The ability to debunk bad science continues to get more and more important on a daily basis. Aside from climate change denial, we’ve been in the midst of a pandemic for almost two years, and people still deny the science. The Debunking Handbook is a short, concise guide to help you debunk bad science and misinformation. It’ll help you better understand how misinformation spreads and some of the misconceptions about how effective it is. Not only that, but you’ll have tools to use the next time you need to talk to a loved one who denies or doesn’t fully understand the science behind different important topics. This handbook was created by some of the best researchers in the field, and they come from a diverse range of universities.
The best part about The Debunking Handbook is that it’s a 100% free digital download. It’s only about 20 pages, and these tools may help legitimately save some lives, so check it out.
The best part about The Debunking Handbook is that it’s a 100% free digital download. It’s only about 20 pages, and these tools may help legitimately save some lives, so check it out.
September 14, 2017
Have you ever listened to Robert Downy Jr.s album "The Futurist"? there's a moment where you realize RDJr could either be highly ironic about the whole endeavor, but he's so committed to the production, that maybe you think he's serious about it all. This is a beautiful place to exist with any work of art. People can make fun of you and you can say "oh but it's ironic, it's meant as a joke" or they can praise you and you can very seriously accept it.
The Debunking Handbook is just this type of work. It provides very useful information, great tactics, but the page layout, format, graphics and fonts used all point to maybe we should verify this. Despite the techniques it suggests making very good sense, i couldn't shake the feeling of skepticism while reading it.
Perhaps this is the age in which we live now. The Age of Poe's Law.
The Debunking Handbook is just this type of work. It provides very useful information, great tactics, but the page layout, format, graphics and fonts used all point to maybe we should verify this. Despite the techniques it suggests making very good sense, i couldn't shake the feeling of skepticism while reading it.
Perhaps this is the age in which we live now. The Age of Poe's Law.
February 26, 2019
This short informational handbook has a lot of utility in this day and age. No doubt, the reader may fall on either side of the political divide, but we all offer our own expertise on certain specific issues based on what we read to inform our opinions. There is nothing more frustrating than having a debate with someone on a topic that they have made a stance on based on misinformation. This is a great guide in helping to successfully make a case with the facts in a way that helps someone update their previously held beliefs with factual information. It's interesting the way the mind works and how we remember. This book can help you in refining the delivery of your argument as well as perhaps identifying it in your own framework. This is a great reference handbook and a very speedy read.
July 16, 2020
This book provided good examples of concepts like information deficit model, confirmation bias, backfire effects, etc. I'll certainly use the suggested 'debunking methods' when the opportunity comes. Very practical book!
December 21, 2016
I received an early review copy of this handy manual from John Cook to help with some climate extension workshops I was doing. The tips were very handy and give great insights into how misinformation imbeds itself.
For a more detailed look at this topic, John has since created a MOOC via the University of Queensland called Making Sense of Climate Science Denial. It is relevant across many fields, but focuses on example from climate science misinformation/myths.
https://www.edx.org/course/making-sen...
For a more detailed look at this topic, John has since created a MOOC via the University of Queensland called Making Sense of Climate Science Denial. It is relevant across many fields, but focuses on example from climate science misinformation/myths.
https://www.edx.org/course/making-sen...
January 12, 2012
Nice, no-nonsense book on how to practically debunk a myth, when you know what you're talking about. Real examples are provided which tell how the process *should not* be done - helpful. Most are basic concepts which you may already know about, but considering the size of the book, it's worth spending time on it as you may end up picking up a tip or two.
December 15, 2011
The Backfire Effect (how humans really think): When facts challenge your beliefs, you don't change your beliefs to accept new information.
This is a quick, dirty guide to correcting misconceptions and presenting facts while working your way around the Backfire Effect.
This is a quick, dirty guide to correcting misconceptions and presenting facts while working your way around the Backfire Effect.
September 13, 2012
It's an Interesting insight into the mindset of the author more famously know for being the webmaster at www.skepticalscience.com a pro-anthropogenic global warming blog. It's an easy read, but I just wonder how the other side would use his tips if they read this...
January 16, 2015
Short, sweet, interesting read. Not a blogger, don't spend a lot of time trying to debunk people. Still, nice to have a resource if needed. Currently free online.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews