===== Weak Validation =====

**Weak validation** refers to the use of **inadequate, superficial, or poorly designed methods** to verify the accuracy, reliability, or generalizability of a scientific result, model, or technique.

==== Characteristics ====
  * Reliance on **small or non-representative samples**.
  * Absence of a **gold standard** or lack of comparison to established methods.
  * Use of **subjective or qualitative criteria** for evaluation.
  * **No replication**, cross-validation, or external benchmarking.
  * Failure to report **sensitivity, specificity, precision**, or other objective metrics.

==== Why It Matters ====
  * Undermines the **credibility and reproducibility** of results.
  * Leads to **overconfidence in exploratory or experimental tools**.
  * Can result in **premature clinical adoption** of unproven techniques.

==== Example in Context ====
> “The authors claim accurate reconstruction of the oculomotor nerve using diffusion MRI, but the study suffers from weak validation: only 4 clinical cases are presented, with no intraoperative or histological correlation.”