---
pattern: 5
type: success
name: Vague Attributions
pack: en-content
language: en
---

# Pattern 5 (en): Vague Attributions — Success Case

## Input Text

> Experts say that rising ocean temperatures pose the greatest long-term threat to coral reef ecosystems. Studies show that bleaching events have doubled in frequency over the past two decades, and research indicates that some species may not recover without immediate intervention. Many believe that current conservation funding is inadequate to address the scale of the problem.

## Expected Output

> A 2024 study led by Terry Hughes at James Cook University found that mass bleaching events hit the Great Barrier Reef in 2016, 2017, 2020, 2022, and 2024 — five times in nine years, compared to twice in the previous two decades. The NOAA Coral Reef Watch program estimates that 54% of the world's reef area experienced bleaching-level heat stress in 2023. The International Coral Reef Initiative's 2024 budget report put global conservation spending at $680 million, roughly a third of what its own models say is needed.

## Applied Pattern

- Pattern 5 (Vague Attributions): "Experts say", "Studies show", "research indicates", and "Many believe" — four unattributed authority claims in a single paragraph, none naming a person, institution, publication, or date.

## Judgment

**Success** — The fire condition is met four times in one paragraph: every sentence appeals to unnamed authority. "Experts say" names no expert. "Studies show" names no study. "Research indicates" names no researcher or institution. "Many believe" names no one at all. The corrected version replaces each vague attribution with a named source, a date, and a specific finding, turning unverifiable gestures at authority into concrete, checkable claims.
