NewScientist is a popular science magazine which indulges in some very bad journalism. This may be due to the fact that the company often hires freelance writers who are encouraged to narrativize their articles and use an eye-catching title. They do not require freelancers to have any particular qualifications in the subjects on which they write. This video explains why I believe you should not trust NewScientist.
- Sources used for Hypatia of Alexandria
- Sources used for the history of witches’ flying ointments
- Sources used for the history of Eunice Foote
- Sources used for the history of the Islamic Golden Age
Sources on NewScientist & pop history
Bradley, David. “Review: A High Time Was Had by All.” New Scientist, 22 January 1994. https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg14119095-000-review-a-high-time-was-had-by-all/.
Brainard, Jeffrey. “Fake Scientific Papers Are Alarmingly Common.” Science, 9 May 2023. https://www.science.org/content/article/fake-scientific-papers-are-alarmingly-common.
Coyne, Jerry. “New Scientist Blurbs Dumb Ideas about Evolution.” Why Evolution Is True, 6 February 2010. https://whyevolutionistrue.com/2010/02/06/new-scientist-blurbs-dumb-ideas-about-evolution/.
———. “New Scientist Defends Bad Science.” Why Evolution Is True, 9 November 2010. https://whyevolutionistrue.com/2010/11/09/new-scientist-defends-bad-science/.
Journalism, Knight Science. “The State of Fact Checking in Science Journalism.” Knight Science Journalism @MIT, 12 September 2018. https://ksj.mit.edu/news/2018/09/12/fact-checking-report/.
O’Connell, Sanjida. “Jim Al-Khalili: Islam’s House of Wisdom Will Rise Again.” New Scientist, 13 January 2020. https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20527431-200-jim-al-khalili-islams-house-of-wisdom-will-rise-again/.
Pullum, Geoffrey K. “Language Log » Bad Science Reporting Again: The Eskimos Are Back.” Language Log, 15 January 2013. https://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=4419.
Robinson, Rebecca Anne. “Why Scientists Don’t Always Read Pop Science Journalism – Titan.uio.no.” Titan.uio.no, 9 March 2021. https://www.titan.uio.no/blogg/women-in-astrophysics/2021/why-scientists-dont-always-read-pop-science-journalism.html.
Simfish. “Is New Scientist a Credible Source for Scientific Information?” Physics Forums: Science Discussion, Homework Help, Articles, 6 March 2011. https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/is-new-scientist-credible.478718/.
Sweney, Mark. “Daily Mail Owner Buys New Scientist Magazine in £70m Deal.” The Guardian, 3 March 2021, § Business. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/mar/03/daily-mail-owner-buys-new-scientist-magazine-in-70m-deal.
Wilkins, Alex. “Eunice Newton Foote: The Woman Who Discovered the Greenhouse Effect.” New Scientist, 17 July 2023. https://www.newscientist.com/article/2382758-eunice-newton-foote-the-woman-who-discovered-the-greenhouse-effect/.
“Hypatia.” New Scientist, 8 March 2003. https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg17723855-600-the-word-hypatia/.
“Physics Forums: Science Discussion, Homework Help, Articles.” Physics Forums: Science Discussion, Homework Help, Articles, 28 June 2024. https://www.physicsforums.com/.
