The "Amazing" James Randi's essay, "Why Magicians Are a Scientist’s Best Friend", makes the argument that extraordinary claims should be vetted by those more experienced in trickery than the average scientist:
I’ve observed that scientists tend to think and perceive logically by using their training and observational skills — of course — and are thus often psychologically insulated from the possibility that there might be chicanery at work. This is where magicians can come in. No matter how well educated, or how basically intelligent, trained, or observant a scientist may be, s/he may be a poor judge of a methodology employed in deliberate deception.
With the number of recent cases of scientific chicanery, more scientists should start thinking like Randi.
