You’ve seen those articles, maybe while trying to look something up. Lists of obscure and remarkable facts. “The strangest vehicles ever made.” “Ten ridiculous laws that are still on the books.” “Eight things you didn’t know about broccoli.” These “listicles,” as the little lists are often called, can be entertaining, but as a rule they’re unreliable information sources. Most are written by freelancers without in-depth knowledge. They repeat popular myths and lack citations. They’re the modern-day descendants of Ripley’s Believe It or Not.

This type of article is easy to skim, and readers who see one with a remarkable claim are apt to share it. This makes it good material for filling out blogs that exist to attract attention to a website. I’ve written some myself and made a strong commitment to getting the facts right. Other writers are more concerned with finishing the piece fast so they can collect their fee and move on to the next assignment. Unless a piece is by an author with relevant expertise or at least on a site that avoids fluff, you shouldn’t treat it as a reliable source.

For instance, recently I came upon the claim that the playwright Aeschylus died when an eagle dropped a turtle on his head. I found this amusing because the story is obviously the inspiration for a similar incident in a Terry Pratchett novel. Search on “list of strange deaths” and you’ll find several pieces making that claim. Dig a little deeper and you’ll find that the earliest known source of the story dates from a century after his death and little reliable biographical information about him is available. The story is, at best, disputable.

Lists of quotations are a variant of the “listicle” issue. The Web is full of attributed quotations with no mention of when and where their alleged originators wrote or uttered them. Once such a claim is out, it’s hard to prove that the person in question didn’t say it. Mark Twain may be the most often cited source of invented quotes. (But I haven’t researched that, so don’t cite me!)

When you’re doing research, stick to reliable sources and don’t rely on those little lists. They never would be missed.