Do your own research
| Le mot juste |
| Words have (no?) power |
"Do your own research!" is a common phrase used by conspiracy theorists and pseudoscience promoters of various creeds in response to people who are skeptical of their claims. This phrase is a form of the escape hatch used by a charlatan who wants to win the argument but does not want to bear the burden of proof. Typically by this they tend not to be suggesting you actually read through papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals—nah, they're evil, big government shills—nor are they suggesting you conduct original research; Professor Google provides all the info needed. Youtube is the best source for all your "research" too. If you must have recourse to some actual books (how elitist!), stick with the likes of Kevin Trudeau and Alex Jones. It should also be noted that many "research" websites are merely copied from each other, making finding true "original" sources very difficult.
Ultimately, the "argument" boils down to "do your own research, from my list of self-approved sources."
Ironically, conducting actual, thorough research from vetted and reliable sources is the best way to debunk conspiracy theories; this goes largely unnoticed by their advocates.
It's commonly used when evidence is debunked too, as some people aren't mature enough to admit they're wrong.[1]