ASKE logo

The Association for Skeptical Enquiry

Casting a critical eye over suspect science, dubious claims and bizarre beliefs


OTHER ORGANISATIONS AND WEBSITES

links

This page is being constantly updated.

If you have a website, or are aware of one, that you think would be of interest to our members then please let us know and we can add it to this list.


UK RELATED

General

Advertising Standards Authority

The Advertising Standards Authority is the UK's independent regulator of advertising across all media. The ASA apply the Advertising Codes, which are written by the Committees of Advertising Practice. Its work includes acting on complaints and proactively checking the media to take action against misleading, harmful or offensive advertisements. The website tells you how to make a complaint to the ASA and lists adjudications of complaints and sanctions. See also: 'We must play our part for the ASA to do its job. The advertising watchdog needs resources to continue its work as its remit widens - Google and Facebook's commitment is at least a good start.' At http://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/play-part-asa-its-job/1431524.

Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit

A research unit based at Goldsmith's College, London. Established by Prof. Chris French. APRU hosts an informative e-mail network for anyone, both national and international, with a serious interest in the psychology of the paranormal.

Bellingcat

Based in the UK, 'An independent international collective of researchers, investigators and citizen journalists using open source and social media investigation to probe a variety of subjects - from Mexican drug lords and crimes against humanity, to tracking the use of chemical weapons and conflicts worldwide'.

British False Memory Society

An organisation that was established by people concerned about 'recovered memory therapy', including parents falsely accused by their offspring of sexually abusing them as children.

Complementary and Alternative

'This site aims to highlight these misleading claims in complementary and alternative medicine and therefore to protect the public from being misled into taking them.'

The Conversation

'The Conversation is an independent source of news and views, sourced from the academic and research community and delivered direct to the public…. Our aim is to allow for better understanding of current affairs and complex issues. And hopefully allow for a better quality of public discourse and conversations.'

The Credibility Coalition

'The Credibility Coalition is working to establish the common elements of trustworthy articles. As many independent projects are now working on fighting misinformation and analysing trust, a common framework is needed.'

Cult Information Centre (CIC)

CIC is a charity providing advice and information for victims of cults, their families and friends, researchers and the media.

EBM First

'This web site has been created as a voice of reason in response to the substantial amount of uncritical media coverage currently being given to alternative medicine.'

Evidence-Based Medicine Data Lab

The Evidence-Based Medicine Data Lab is based at Oxford University's Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences and advises on evidence-based medical products and practices. 'We build working, useful products to help academics and doctors. We campaign for better data in healthcare.'

Full Fact

'Full Fact is the UK's independent fact-checking charity. We provide free tools, information and advice so that anyone can check the claims we hear from politicians and the media.' Also see 'The Full Fact Podcast'.

Good Thinking

Founded by science writer Simon Singh and featuring the indomitable Michael Marshall. 'Our goal is "to encourage curiosity and promote rational thinking", hence the positive title of the organisation. At the same time, this inevitably means battling against irrationality and pseudoscience.'

HealthSense

A U.K. website that reports on unproven and questionable medical practices, including alternative medicine but also dubious claims in mainstream medicine.

The House of Commons Library

The House of Commons Library is an independent research and information service. Experts publish research and analysis on topical issues and legislation, which you can read on this site.

Humanists UK

'Humanists UK works on behalf of non-religious people who seek to live ethical lives on the basis of reason and humanity. We promote Humanism, a secular state, and equal treatment of everyone regardless of religion or belief. Our celebrants provide non-religious funeral, wedding, and naming ceremonies.'

Improving Biomedical Health Research

A UK-based international collaboration established to advocate for three achievable demands that can be implemented to improve health research.

Logically

'Logically combines artificial intelligence with expert analysts to tackle harmful and manipulative content at speed and scale. We work to reduce the individual, institutional, and societal damage caused by misleading and deceptive online discourse.'

Merseyside Skeptics Society

One of the most active of UK's many local skeptics societies, with a regular podcast. Worth putting on your favourites bar.

The Nightingale Collaboration

'The Nightingale Collaboration challenges questionable claims made by healthcare practitioners on their websites, in adverts and in their promotional and sales materials by bringing these to the attention of the appropriate regulatory bodies. We also strive to ensure that organisations representing healthcare practitioners have robust codes of conduct for their members that protect the public and that these are enforced.'

Psience Quest

A discussion site for everyone who's interested in psi, evidence of survival after death and related subjects.

Rational Veterinary Medicine

Collates and critiques references and clinical papers used by proponents of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, both human and veterinary.

Sense About Science

'With a database of over 6,000 scientists, from Nobel prize winners to postdocs and PhD students, we work in partnership with scientific bodies, research publishers, policy makers, the public and the media, to change public discussions about science and evidence.'

Skepchick

'Skepchick was founded by Rebecca Watson in 2005 to discuss science and skepticism from a woman's perspective. Over the years, it's grown to be a home to dozens of writers who tackle those issues as well as progressive politics, feminism, and social justice.'

Skeptical Humanities

Skeptical Humanities explores areas of human experience such as art, philosophy, history, literature, rhetoric, aesthetics, literary criticism, pop culture studies, folklore, and cultural studies.

The Skeptic Magazine (UK)

This is the UK's major paper magazine on skepticism. The website also features content pages of previous issues, news, discussion, and links to other skeptical sites.

Skeptics in the Pub Online Podcast

'This is the podcast version of the Skeptics in the Pub Online live-streamed talks. We take the audio and give it to you in a nice easy podcast feed for you to listen at your pleasure.'

Stimulus Network

'Award winning podcasts cover topics from science fiction through to actual science news and right back to ghost hunting.'

Students 4 Best Evidence (S4BE)

'S4BE is a growing network of students from around the world, from school age to university, who are interested in learning more about evidence-based health care (EBH).'

Students Against Pseudoscience

'We are a student-run movement based in Cambridge University. And we are dedicated to fighting back against the growing threats of pseudoscience, misinformation and anti-intellectualism.'

Think Humanism

Think Humanism is an independent humanist forum for people interested in humanism, secularism and freethought.

UK Statistics Authority

The UK Statistics Authority is an independent body operating at arm's length from government as a non-ministerial department, directly accountable to Parliament. 'The Authority's statutory objective is to promote and safeguard the production and publication of official statistics that serve the public good. It is also required to promote and safeguard the quality and comprehensiveness of official statistics, and ensure good practice in relation to official statistics.'

Understanding Health Research

'Understanding Health Research is a tool designed to help people understand and review published health research to decide how dependable and relevant a piece of research is. The tool guides users through a series of questions to ask about specific types of health research, and helps users to understand what the answers to those questions say about the quality of the research they are reading.'

Which?

Which? is a brand name used by the Consumers' Association. It exists to promote informed consumer choice in the purchase of goods and services by testing products, highlighting inferior products or services, raising awareness of consumer rights and offering independent advice. Which? magazine was first published in October 1957 and is available monthly on subscription. Other publications include Which? Travel, Which? Car, Which? Money, Which? Computing and Which? Gardening.

Audio and video resources

Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit

Recordings of many of the APRU talks on paranormal phenomena, anomalous ideas and psychological controversies are accessible here.

Naked Scientists' Internet radio show

Up-to-date information, including podcasts, on all things scientific.

Events

Skeptics in the Pub

Skeptics in the Pub are meetings, usually monthly, in pubs across the UK and beyond at which people hear about and discuss topics of skeptical interest. Normally a speaker is invited to give a talk and this is followed by questions and discussion in a relaxed and friendly pub atmosphere. You can find out from the website which is the nearest Skeptics in the Pub to where you live, or if you are on holiday, where you are staying.

People and opinions

'Bad Thinking' Blog

'People believe strange things mostly, I think, because of bad thinking. Accepting an extraordinary claim without sufficient evidence is irrational. Let's see if we can bring a bit of rationality into play.'

Christian Iago Blog

Giving unevidenced beliefs perpetuated by misinformation, tradition, dogma, delusion, fraud and indoctrination the respect they duly deserve since 2008.

DC's Improbable Science

Blogs on 'Truth, falsehood and evidence: investigations of dubious and dishonest science' by David Colquhoun, pharmacologist at University College London.

Edzard Ernst's Blog

Edzard Ernst is Emeritus Professor of Complementary Medicine at the Peninsula School of Medicine, University of Exeter. He and his colleagues have been prolific in their investigations of the efficay of complementary medicine and he continues to write and lecture on this subject.

Chris French

Professor Chris French of the Anomalistic Psychology Unit at Goldsmiths College now has his own website packed with information and features about Anomalistic Psychology.

Ben Goldacre's Bad Science column

Ben Goldacre is a psychiatrist, well-known for his expositions of the scandals of alternative medicine and the pharmaceutical industry. But he is also very criticial of unscientific and unsupported practices and policies in mainstream medicine.

Hayley is a Ghost

'Award-winning science blog about spooky things written by Hayley Stevens, a Wiltshire-based paranormal investigator who uses a science-based methodology to solve spooky mysteries.'

Michael Heap

Michael Heap is a retired clinical and forensic psychologist who takes a skeptical view of life in general. Papers cover a range of topics, including psychology and psychiatry, politics, unusual claims, and hypnosis.

Adam Jacobs

Adam Jacobs is a medical statistician, who has worked in clinical research since 1996. His blog is 'a collection of my random thoughts about statistics, medicine, science, and other stuff'.

Majikthyse

'I'm an independent consultant in clinical science, so there's an emphasis on biomedicine, but I'll roam freely through the labyrinths of pseudoscience and superstition.'

The Quackometer

Website by Andy Lewis of the Merseyside Skeptics devoted to the detection of quackery, false claims and irrational thinking.

Martin Taylor

Martin Taylor is (amongst other things) a stage hypnotist who does not make any attempt to 'hypnotise' his volunteers.

OTHER SITES

Australian Skeptics

A very large, active and influential skeptical organisation.

Calling Bullshit

'The aim of this course is to help students navigate the bullshit-rich modern environment by identifying bullshit, seeing through it, and combating it with effective analysis and argument.'

Centre for Inquiry (CFI) and Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI)

Based in the USA. 'The mission of the CFI is to foster a secular society based on science, reason, freedom of inquiry, and humanist values.' The CSI is part of the CFI and promotes skeptical thinking notably through the magazine 'Skeptical Inquirer'.

CICAP

The website of the Italian skeptics, one of the largest and most active skeptical organisations in Europe.

ConscienHealth

'ConscienHealth works with experts and organizations to advance sound approaches to health and obesity, the biggest threat to the health of America in this century. We advocate for evidence-based prevention and treatment.'

Conspirituality

'A weekly study of converging right-wing conspiracy theories and faux-progressive wellness utopianism. … Conspirituality Podcast attempts to bring understanding to this landscape'.

Debunking Denialism

'Debunking Denialism is a website dedicated to the refutation of pseudoscience and denialism by applying scientific skepticism and defending evidence-based science.'

Dustin Dean

'Magician and mentalist Dustin Dean has a large collection of snappy Tik Tok videos demonstrating and explaining apparently paranormal effects and claims of paranormal ability by others.'

European Council of Skeptical Organizations

Several of the European skeptical societies, including ASKE, are affiliated to ECSO, which is based in Germany. Every two years one of the affiliated societies hosts the European Skeptics Congress.

European Skeptics Podcast

The European Skeptics Podcast is an independent, weekly show hosted by three skeptics from different countries, representing several organisations and projects. The main focus of the podcast is to support European level actions within the skeptical movement. You'll also find on the website a comprehensive calendar of event of skeptical interest taking place all over Europe.

FactCheck.org

A project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. 'A nonpartisan, nonprofit "consumer advocate" for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics.'

Friends of Science in Medicine

'Friends of Science in Medicine (FSM) was formed at the end of 2011 to emphasise the importance of having health care in Australia based upon evidence, scientifically sound research and established scientific knowledge.'

Genetic Literary Project

Genetic Literacy Project exists 'to promote public awareness and constructive discussion of genetics, biotechnology, evolution and science literacy'.

Gid M-K

Health nerd; Epidemiologist. Writer. "Shill Blogger" Natural News.

Gizmodo

'From reviews of the latest phones, TVs, laptops, shows, and movies to the latest news about privacy, tech and environmental policy, and labor, we aim to cover the worlds of technology, science, and entertainment with transparency, accuracy, humor, and blunt honesty.'

Health News Review

'Reviews news stories and news releases that include a claim of efficacy about treatments, tests, products or procedures.'

InFact with Brian Dunning

A web video series that gives you the real facts behind popular myths, promoting high-quality information that helps people live better lives. Click on the link to access an accumulating series of brief, informative, myth-busing videoed talks (with text) on a wide range of subjects of interest to skeptics.

Intelligent Speculations

Intelligent speculation's mission is to teach as many as possible how to become a critical thinker that makes better decisions.

James Randi Educational Foundation

Founded by the most celebrated skeptic of all, the late James 'The Amazing' Randi and based in the USA. After Randi's retirement in 2015, the JREF Board decided that it will convert the organisation into a grant-making foundation.

McGill Office for Science and Society

'The McGill Office for Science and Society (OSS) is a unique venture dedicated to the promotion of critical thinking, science communication, and the presentation of scientific information to the public, educators, and students in an accurate and responsible fashion.'

Metafact

'Metafact is a fact-checking platform. You ask a question, we source many independent experts to verify the evidence.'

Monster Talk

'MonsterTalk has been promoting science and critical thinking since 2009. We're skeptical of the existence of monsters, but we want to understand the mysterious experiences people report.'

MythBusters

MythBusters is a science entertainment television program. The show's hosts, Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman, use the scientific method to test the validity of rumors, myths, movie scenes, adages, Internet videos, and news stories. Click the link for videos of the tests conducted over several years.

National Council against Health Fraud (Archive)

NCAHF was a private nonprofit, voluntary health agency that focused upon health misinformation, fraud, and quackery as public health problems.

Naturopathic diaries

Britt Holmes trained in naturopathy but came to realise 'The profession functions as a system of indoctrination based on discredited ideas about health and medicine, full of pseudoscientific rhetoric and loaded with ineffective and dangerous practices'.

New Zealand Skeptics Society

The NZ Skeptics Society is a non-profit body that exists to promote critical thinking. Visit their very active website.

Nicholas J. Johnson

From Australia: 'I'm an award-winning magician, best-selling author, and keynote speaker. I entertain, educate, and turn my audiences into walking bullshit-detectors.'

On the Media

'The Breaking News Consumer's Handbook'. 'WNYC's weekly investigation into how the media shapes our world view. Brooke Gladstone and Bob Garfield give you the tools to survive the media maelstrom.'

Parli

A database for the opinions (well researched and argued opinions) from all over the world. Contributors welcome.

Penn & Teller: Bullshit!

'This daring original series stars postmodern bad boys of magic Penn & Teller as they question many of our culture's most cherished and widely held beliefs. From the truth about palm readings and TV psychics to the reality behind Feng Shui and Ouija boards, the archly comic masters of misdirection host this eye-opening analysis of the middle-ground between perception and reality.'

Podchaser: Serious Inquiries Only

'Join Thomas (Smith) for some critical thinking on questions of science, philosophy, skepticism and politics. These serious topics are discussed with some serious guests, but in an entertaining and engaging way!'

Reality Check

Radio FM4's midday news magazine investigates the stories behind the headlines.

Quackwatch

U.S. website devoted to exposing quackery in medicine.

Respectful Insolence

'A statement of fact cannot be insolent. The miscellaneous ramblings of a surgeon/scientist (David Gorski, aka 'Orac') on medicine, quackery, science, and pseudoscience (and anything else that interests him).'

Retraction Watch

A blog that reports on retractions of scientific papers.

Science-based Medicine

'Science-Based Medicine is dedicated to evaluating medical treatments and products of interest to the public in a scientific light, and promoting the highest standards and traditions of science in health care.'

Science Friday

'Science Friday is your trusted source for news and entertaining stories about science.'

The Skeptical Inquirer

Longstanding and influential periodical of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (see earlier) featuring articles of a high academic standard, some of which are freely available online

The Skeptical Raptor

The Skeptical Raptor: Science of vaccines, cancer, nutrition, evolution: 'This blog is all about chewing up bad science, anti-science, and pseudoscience'.

Skepticism 101

'The Skeptical Studies Curriculum Resource Center is a comprehensive, free repository of resources for teaching students how to think skeptically.'

The Skeptic's Dictionary

A truly wonderful resource for all things skeptical 'from Abacadabra to Zombies'.

The Skeptics Guide to the Universe

The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe is a weekly 80-minute podcast hosted by Steven Novella, MD, along with a panel of "skeptical rogues." and is the official podcast of the New England Skeptical Society. The show features discussions of recent scientific developments in layman's terms, and interviews authors, people in the area of science, and other famous skeptics.

Skeptoid

'Since 2006, the weekly Skeptoid podcast has been taking on all the most popular myths and revealing the true science, true history, and true lessons we can learn from each. The web site and podcast are nonprofit and listener supported.'

The Straight Dope

A Q&A website: 'Go ahead, dash off a note to …. the Master! Cecil Adams, the world's smartest human being, can answer any question.'

Thinking is Power

'Knowledge might be power, but there's too much for any one person to know. We're drowning in information and bombarded with claims. How do we figure out what to believe? The answer is better thinking!'

TranspariMED

'Working to end evidence distortion in medicine.'

Vulture Watch

'An Australian group: 'Vulture Watch is about creating awareness of exploitation, irrationality, discrimination or misinformation. We delve into the motives of such vulturous activities and look at how we all can hold such behaviour accountable.'