Title: Anecdotal evidence | Psychology Wiki | Fandom
Headings: Anecdotal evidence
Anecdotal evidence
Contents
Introduction
Scientific context
Anecdotal evidence and faulty logic
Law
Scientific evidence as legal evidence
References
Bibliography
See also

Content: What constitutes anecdotal evidence is sometimes disputed on scientific or philosophical grounds. Contents
1
Introduction
2
Scientific context
3
Anecdotal evidence and faulty logic
4
Law
5
Scientific evidence as legal evidence
6
References
7
Bibliography
8
See also
Introduction
In all forms of anecdotal evidence, testing its reliability by objective independent assessment may be in doubt. This is a consequence of the informal way the information is gathered, documented, presented, or any combination of the three. The term is often used to describe evidence for which there is an absence of documentation. This leaves verification dependent on the credibility of the party presenting the evidence. Scientific context
In science, anecdotal evidence has been defined as: "information that is not based on facts or careful study"
"non-scientific observations or studies, which do not provide proof but may assist research efforts"
"reports or observations of usually unscientific observers"
"casual observations or indications rather than rigorous or scientific analysis"
"information passed along by word-of-mouth but not documented scientifically"
Anecdotal evidence can have varying degrees of formality. For instance, in medicine, published anecdotal evidence is called a case report, which is a more formalized type of evidence subjected to peer review. Although such evidence is not regarded as scientific, it is sometimes regarded as an invitation to more rigorous scientific study of the phenomenon in question. For instance, one study found that 35 of 47 anecdotal reports of side effects were later sustained as “clearly correct.”