Rigor Guide
How to check whether a physics paper is falsifiable
A physics paper is falsifiable when it makes a claim that reality could contradict. In practice, that means the paper identifies an observable consequence, the conditions under which it should appear, and what outcome would count against the theory.
What Counts as Falsifiable
A falsifiable paper does not need to have its prediction tested already. It needs to make the prediction precise enough that a future observation could show it wrong.
TOE-Share scores this dimension highly when a paper moves beyond broad interpretation and into explicit consequences: measurable effects, parameter constraints, expected signatures, or conditions that would break the theory.
Common Ways Papers Fail This Dimension
Predictions are qualitative only and never tied to observable conditions.
The theory can explain every possible outcome after the fact.
No measurement, threshold, or observation is named that could count against the claim.
The paper gestures toward future tests but never specifies what they are.
How to Improve Your Falsifiability Score
State at least one concrete prediction and the conditions under which it should appear.
Describe what result would falsify the claim, not just what would support it.
Quantify when possible: ranges, ratios, signatures, or threshold behaviors.
Separate speculative extensions from the core prediction set.
Falsifiability Is a Design Choice
Most weak falsifiability scores are not caused by the core idea. They are caused by the paper stopping one step too early. Push the theory into prediction space and the review gets stronger.