| Model used outside its regime (e.g., continuum flow where the gas is rarefied, inertia included at very low Reynolds number, Brownian motion neglected for sub-micrometer particles) | Compute the relevant dimensionless numbers (Reynolds, Knudsen, Péclet, Biot) for your parameters | State the regime explicitly; choose a model valid in it; cite the source that defines the validity range |
| Unit and dimension errors (mixing µm and m, °C and K, per-minute and per-second rates) | Check that every equation is dimensionally consistent; run one case by hand | Work in SI units internally; convert only for display; label every axis and value with units |
| Wrong or unstated boundary and initial conditions | Ask: what happens at each wall, inlet, outlet and at t = 0? | Write them out in the methods; justify each against the physical system |
| No comparison with a known solution | Ask: has this code ever reproduced a result I did not produce myself? | Reproduce an analytical limit or a published benchmark first; show the comparison |
| No convergence test | Results change when the mesh, time step or sample size is refined | Refine at least twice; report the change in the key quantity; use the converged setting |
| AI-generated code accepted without checking | The author cannot explain each line or each parameter | Read and comment the code; test it on a case with a known answer; record what the AI tool produced in the Claim & AI-use log |
| Parameter values without a source | A value appears in a table or narration with no reference | Give a reference, a measurement or an explicit assumption for every parameter |
| Too few samples for stochastic results | Brownian or Monte Carlo results vary noticeably between runs | Run multiple independent realizations; report the mean and spread |
