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Fringe theories are often discussed in Wikipedia articles, subject to the WP:FRINGE policy. Even the most radical conspiracy theories are often represented in their own articles, if they are sufficiently notable. But the problem is that they are usually written like any other valid viewpoint, and even cite some book or source as a reference. So, how do we identify a conspiracy theory as such?
A credible author that says "that is a fringe theory" is a good way to do that, but not always. Fringe theories tend to be, well, fringe, so perhaps nobody debunked it: not because it is accepted, but because nobody took the work to take the fringe theory into account and explain why it is wrong. Scientists are busy people and work on full-time important projects, they can't waste their time debunking the claims of every lunatic that shows up. So, let's see how to identify a fringe theory simply by analysis.
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