Where Did the Resistance Go? How Empirical Claims Survive Evidence That Should Weaken Them

AbstractSometimes the evidence in a paper pushes against its main claim. The failed test is visible. Thedisappointing validation is reported. The unfavorable comparison is acknowledged. Yet by the time thereader reaches the abstract or conclusion, the claim has barely changed.How did that happen?Resistance handling refers to ways evidentiary resistance can be treated so that it fails to carryforward into the claim. The framework identifies recurring patterns including rhetorical resolution,evaluation refactoring, missing expected baselines, selective metric invalidation, and semanticinflation.The contribution is classificatory rather than corrective. It provides language for recognizing whenrestraint is warranted before a claim is relied upon or reused.