Research Dismissal

Telling people to "do your own research" or "educate yourself" instead of providing evidence for claims.

"Do your own research."

"I'm not going to educate you, Google exists."

"If you don't know by now, I can't help you."

"Educate yourself before commenting."

Why It's Unproductive

Sounds like promoting critical thinking but dodges the burden of supporting claims. It's tempting because explaining feels like doing someone else's work, but it treats requesting sources as laziness rather than reasonable skepticism. Leaves claims unsubstantiated while framing the questioner as uninformed or unwilling to learn.

The Better Move

"Here's a source that covers this: [link]."

"This article explains it well: [link]. Key point is [brief summary]."

"I first learned about this from [source]. The main finding was..."

"Fair question. The evidence comes from [brief explanation or link]."

Why It's Better

Backs up claims with actual sources instead of deflecting. Shows confidence in the argument and respects that people asking for evidence aren't necessarily lazy, they're being appropriately skeptical.

Example

OP: "Studies show this approach is ineffective."

Antipattern reply: "Do your own research. I'm not going to spoon-feed you basic facts."

Better: "This meta-analysis found limited effectiveness: [link]. The main issue was sample size in most studies."