I am open to the idea that someone from a background outside of academia could come up with some really brilliant scientific work. I just know that I am not cap

I am open to the idea that someone from a background outside of academia could come up with some really brilliant scientific work. I just know that I am not capable of discerning what is solid science in fields different from my own so I typically rely on signals like an academic background (although not exclusively) to help me gauge the trustworthiness of a claim.