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'''Quote mining''' is the practice of looking through a person's published remarks or writings, looking for out-of-context quotations which support one's own point of view. It is a akin to putting words in someone's mouth, but it's more effective when an exact quotation is used. Often the point you wish to make is that the speaker or author is incoherent, stupid, politically incorrect; holds abhorrent views, etc. (see [[character assassination]])  

'''Quote mining''' is the practice of looking through a person's published remarks or writings, looking for something that can be quoted out of context which support one's own point of view. It is a akin to putting words in someone's mouth, but it's more effective when an exact quotation is used. Often the point you wish to make is that the speaker or author is incoherent, stupid, politically incorrect; holds abhorrent views, etc. (see [[character assassination]]).

It's not easy to distinguish quote mining, which is a form of deception, from honest reporting of a person's views. To distinguish a "mined" from an "honest" quote, we must be familiar with the person's previously published ideas. Quote miners take advantage of this to get other people to dismiss a person and their ideas entirely, hoping that a few supposedly representative quotations will cause the reader to write them off as a coherent or reliable source; the book ''[[Bushism]]'' had that intent.

It's not easy to distinguish quote mining, which is a form of deception, from honest reporting of a person's views. To distinguish a "mined" from an "honest" quote, we must be familiar with the person's previously published ideas. Quote miners take advantage of this to get other people to dismiss or accept a person and their ideas entirely.

In some cases they hope that a few supposedly representative quotations will cause the reader to write the author off as a coherent or reliable source; the book ''[[Bushism]]'' had that intent.

In academic disputes, quote mining is all too common. Dishonest academics, instead of present research in a straightforward fashion, frequently distort other people's published writings to garner support for questionable views. Equally damaging to the [[marketplace of ideas]] and the advance of human knowledge is accuse someone else falsely of quote mining.

In academic disputes, quote mining is all too common. Dishonest academics, instead of present research in a straightforward fashion, frequently distort other people's published writings to garner support for questionable views. Equally damaging to the [[marketplace of ideas]] and the advance of human knowledge is falsely accuse someone else of quote mining.

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