# Vague attribution and weasel wording > Source-anchored research for Vague attribution and weasel wording. Run status: COMPLETED. Parent: [Vague attribution and promotional register in LLM prose](https://llms-explorer.com/tree/ai-isms-attribution-and-register/) · 3 facets · 6 facts · page: https://llms-explorer.com/tree/vague-attribution-and-weasel-wording/ ## How it works - The same guide says LLMs present views from one or two sources as widely held, mention multiple 'reviewers' while citing only one person, and imply lists are non-exhaustive when the sources do not. (low confidence) (verified as of 2026-09-23) — [source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Signs_of_AI_writing) ## Problems, failure modes and limitations - Scope limit: the manual says such phrases are not automatically weasel words. They can stand in a lead or topic sentence when the article body or rest of the paragraph supplies attribution, and can be used for views properly attributed to a reliable source. (medium confidence) — [source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Words_to_watch) ## Facts and statements - Wikipedia's 'Signs of AI writing' has a section on vague attributions and overgeneralization of opinions: chatbots attribute opinions to vague authorities via weasel wording, with phrases like 'Industry reports', 'Observers have cited', 'Experts argue', 'Some critics argue', 'several sources/publications'. (medium confidence) (verified as of 2026-09-23) — [source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Signs_of_AI_writing) - Wikipedia's Manual of Style defines weasel wording as vague attribution that dresses a statement in authority with no substantial basis; its examples include 'some people say', 'many scholars state', 'it is believed', 'experts declare', 'it is often reported'. (high confidence) — [source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Words_to_watch) - A 2009 Wikipedia study grouped weasel wording into numerically vague expressions, passive voice that avoids accountability ('it is said'), and weakening adverbs ('often', 'probably'). (low confidence) — [source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weasel_word) - An interuniversity style guide (UPC) gives the same fix outside Wikipedia: 'Student registrations have been observed to be increasing' becomes 'Student registrations have been increasing'; a straightforward statement beats a vague attribution. (medium confidence) — [source](https://www.upc.edu/slt/ca/redaccio-i-comunicacio/writing-resources/university-management/interuniversity-style-guide/writing-in-english-concision)