Introduction

Fact-checking science claims is essential to filter misinformation, ensure public safety, and build trust in evidence-based information. It corrects misconceptions about health and environmental data, prevents the spread of false, viral content, and assists in making informed, evidence-backed decisions.

"Be your own fact-checker: Don't accept your initial thoughts as truth. Verify information and consider different perspectives before reaching conclusions."

Monika Ajay Kaul, Author

Dedicated Science & Health Fact-Checkers

The top 20 fact-checking websites with confirmed IFCN (International Fact-Checking Network) membership that have a notable focus on or significant track record in science, health, and environmental fact-checking.

• Science Feedback - science.feedback.org. A worldwide network of PhD scientists fact-checking climate, health, and environmental claims. The gold standard for science-specific IFCN fact-checking.
• Climate Feedback - climatefeedback.org. Focused exclusively on climate and Earth science claims, reviewed by PhD scientists with peer-reviewed publications.
• Health Feedback - healthfeedback.org. Focused exclusively on medical and public health misinformation, reviewed by credentialed health scientists.
• SciCheck - factcheck.org. FactCheck's dedicated science wing, checking false scientific claims made by politicians and in public policy debates.
• Science Presse - sciencepresse.qc.ca. Quebec-based science journalism and fact-checking organization, one of the few IFCN members with an exclusive science mandate.

Major IFCN Members with Strong Science Coverage

• AFP Fact Check - factcheck.afp.com. From Agence France-Presse, originally launched in France in 2017 and now global, available in multiple languages. An IFCN signatory and Facebook partner. Covers health, environmental, and COVID-related misinformation extensively.
• Reuters Fact Check - reuters.com/fact-check. An IFCN fact-checker from the UK-based Reuters that tends to focus on social media hoaxes and claims, sourcing fact-checks with credible information. Frequently covers vaccine and health misinformation.
• PolitiFact - politifact.com. A Pulitzer Prize-winning, IFCN-signatory site that rates statements on the Truth-O-Meter, from True to False, including those on science and public health policy.
• Full Fact full - fact.org. An independent IFCN-verified signatory that helped develop the IFCN Code of Principles in 2016, covering health, immigration, and political claims across UK media.
• Snopes - snopes.com. The oldest fact-checking site online, with a long record of being unbiased and showing its work. Snopes is an IFCN signatory and regularly fact-checks health, medicine, and viral scientific claims.
• Lead Stories - leadstories.com. An IFCN signatory rated dead-center least biased that tracks story trends and debunks fake news before it goes viral, frequently covering health and scientific misinformation.
• The Washington Post Fact Checker - washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker. An IFCN signatory that covers scientific and health claims alongside political ones, using its well-known "Pinocchio" rating system. Africa Check (africacheck.org) — An IFCN-meeting organization highlighted across academic guides as a reliable fact-checker for the African continent. It actively fact-checks health and medical misinformation across multiple African countries.
• Chequeado - chequeado.com. One of Latin America's leading IFCN-certified fact-checkers, covering health and scientific misinformation in Spanish-speaking communities.
• Maldita.es - maldita.es. An IFCN-certified Spanish organization with dedicated sections for health (Maldita Salud) and science misinformation, particularly active during COVID-19.
• Correctiv - correctiv.org. An IFCN-certified investigative and fact-checking organization in Germany with strong health and COVID-19 misinformation coverage.
• Pagella Politica / Facta - facta.news. An IFCN-certified Italian fact-checker that covers health and scientific claims alongside political ones.
• Faktograf - faktograf.hr. An IFCN-certified fact-checker in the Western Balkans region with notable health and science misinformation coverage.
• Boom Live - boomlive.in. An IFCN-certified Indian fact-checker that actively debunks health misinformation, including vaccine myths and COVID-19 claims, in multiple Indian languages.
• Aos Fatos - aosfatos.org. An IFCN-certified Brazilian fact-checker covering health, environmental, and scientific misinformation in Portuguese, one of the most respected in Latin America.
• RMIT ABC Fact Check - abc.net.au/news/factcheck. A partnership between the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and RMIT University, and an IFCN signatory. It fact-checks scientific and policy claims made by Australian public figures.

Of the roughly 162 current IFCN verified signatories, only Science Feedback, Climate Feedback, Health Feedback, SciCheck, and Science Presse are primarily dedicated to science fact-checking. The rest of the top 20 above are general-purpose IFCN members that cover science extensively alongside other topics.

External References