Appeal to authority

appeal-to-authority.md

Here’s what the first hits on a Google search for “appeal to authority” say (top list, no hit was omitted).

http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/appeal-to-authority.html

This fallacy is committed when the person in question is not a legitimate authority on the subject. […] The following standards are widely accepted:

1. The person has sufficient expertise in the subject matter in question.
2. The claim being made by the person is within her area(s) of expertise.
3. There is an adequate degree of agreement among the other experts in the subject in question.
4. The person in question is not significantly biased. […]

https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/appeal-to-authority

It's important to note that this fallacy should not be used to dismiss the claims of experts, or scientific consensus.

http://www.logicalfallacies.info/relevance/appeals/appeal-to-authority/

the informal fallacy occurs only when the authority cited either (a) is not an authority, or (b) is not an authority on the subject on which he is being cited.

http://www.logicallyfallacious.com/index.php/logical-fallacies/21-appeal-to-authority

Using an authority as evidence in your argument when the authority is not really an authority on the facts relevant to the argument.

http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Argument_from_authority

A logically fallacious argument from authority grounds a claim in the beliefs of a source that is not authoritative.