Unreferable

The adjective 'unreferable' describes something that cannot or should not be used as a reference, source, or point of comparison. It suggests a lack of credibility, reliability, or suitability for citation. This might stem from its untrustworthiness, irrelevance to the context, lack of corroboration, or questionable authority. Things deemed unreferable are often based on biased information, contain factual inaccuracies, or lack sufficient evidence to be considered sound and dependable. When dealing with legal matters, academic works, or scientific analysis, unreferable sources are entirely avoided.

Unreferable meaning with examples

• The blog post, riddled with conspiracy theories and anonymous accusations, was deemed unreferable by the fact-checkers, discrediting the entire argument. Its lack of verifiable sources and demonstrable bias meant it couldn’t stand as a reputable reference, weakening the claims it was supposed to support.
• During the research phase, the student realized the website used to validate one of their claims was flagged, as every page was unreferable, rendering the work unreliable. This necessitated finding an alternative source for that supporting argument, causing extra work, as this was a last minute change.
• Due to the confidential nature of the conversation and the participants not willing to be named, the details of the meeting were unreferable when compiling the company's report. A decision was made to cite other corroborating documentation that was able to be publicly accessible.
• The gossipy and sensationalized news outlet provided a version of the events that was unreferable in academic circles, but also by any serious news source. Any analysis of those events would be required to use the accounts reported by the primary sources of information.