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ArticlePublication 2021Misinformation and Public Opinion of Science and Health
This article summarizes the literature on misinformation, beginning with an overview of the most common …
This article summarizes the literature on misinformation, beginning with an overview of the most common definitions of misinformation (and related terms) in the communication literature and then a review of academic studies in the areas of science and health. The author acknowledges four overarching questions that have emerged prominently in recent years: (1) What does “misinformation” (and the terms that are oftentimes treated synonymously) mean? (2) How big of a problem is it in areas…
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ArticlePublication 2021Misinformation in and About Science
Humans learn about the world by collectively acquiring information, filtering it, and sharing what we …
Humans learn about the world by collectively acquiring information, filtering it, and sharing what we know. Misinformation undermines this process. The repercussions are extensive. Without reliable and accurate sources of information, we cannot hope to halt climate change, make reasoned democratic decisions, or control a global pandemic. Most analyses of misinformation focus on popular and social media, but the scientific enterprise faces a parallel set of problems – from hype and hyperbole to publication bias…
Global | Decision Psychology | Preferences/Values | Social Determinants | Culture/Society | Government/Law | Science/Technology | North America -
ReportPublication 2021What It Means to Be a Science-Literate Citizen in a Digital World
Science literacy is often held up as crucial for avoiding science-related misinformation and enabling more …
Science literacy is often held up as crucial for avoiding science-related misinformation and enabling more informed individual and collective decision-making. But research has not yet examined whether science literacy actually enables this, nor what skills it would need to encompass to do so. This report addresses three questions to outline what it should mean to be science literate in today’s world: (1) How should we conceptualize science literacy? (2) How can we achieve this science…
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ArticlePublication 2021Narrative Truth About Scientific Misinformation
Science and storytelling mean different things when they speak of truth. This difference leads some …
Science and storytelling mean different things when they speak of truth. This difference leads some to blame storytelling for presenting a distorted view of science and contributing to misinformation. Yet others celebrate storytelling as a way to engage audiences and share accurate scientific information. This review disentangles the complexities of how storytelling intersects with scientific misinformation. Storytelling is the act of sharing a narrative, and science and narrative represent two distinct ways of constructing reality.…
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OrganizationPublication 2024Standing Committee on Advancing Science Communication
The Standing Committee on Advancing Science Communication brings together the diverse disciplines of science communication …
The Standing Committee on Advancing Science Communication brings together the diverse disciplines of science communication research and practice. Together, the committee works to more effectively engage all communities with science in ways that are equitable, evidence-based, and inclusive. This description was extracted from the organization website.
Global | Social Determinants | Policy/Regulation | Climate/Environment | Culture/Society | Health/Medicine | Science/Technology | North America -
ArticlePublication 2019Misinformation Has Created a New World Disorder
This article, in brief, discusses (1) that many types of information disorder exist online, from …
This article, in brief, discusses (1) that many types of information disorder exist online, from fabricated videos to impersonated accounts to memes designed to manipulate genuine content, (2) automation and microtargeting tactics have made it easier for agents of disinformation to weaponize regular users of the social web to spread harmful messages, and (3) much research is needed to understand the effects of disinformation and build safeguards against it. This description was adapted from the…
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ArticlePublication 2021Correct COVID-19 Vaccine Misinformation: Lancet Commission on COVID-19 Vaccines & Therapeutics Task Force Members
This brief “primer” assists healthcare providers in correcting a growing body of misinformation surrounding COVID-19 …
This brief “primer” assists healthcare providers in correcting a growing body of misinformation surrounding COVID-19 vaccines. In 2020, up to one-third or more of people surveyed both globally and in the U.S. indicated they might refuse the first COVID-19 vaccines when released through emergency use authorization (EUA). Their rationale included questions about vaccine efficacy, potential side effects, or speeding through regulatory approval processes. Even among healthcare workers, high rates of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy were noted.…
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ArticlePublication 2020COVID-19 Infodemic: A New Front for Information Professionals
COVID-19 emerged from Wuhan, China and has spread in 213 countries, areas, or territories around …
COVID-19 emerged from Wuhan, China and has spread in 213 countries, areas, or territories around the globe, with nearly 144,683 deaths worldwide as-of April 18, 2020. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have witnessed a massive infodemic with the public being bombarded with vast quantities of information, much of which is not scientifically correct. Fighting fake news is now the new front in the COVID-19 battle. This article comments on the role of…
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ArticlePublication 2021COVID-19 Infodemic: Twitter vs. Facebook
The global spread of COVID-19 is affected by the spread of related misinformation – the …
The global spread of COVID-19 is affected by the spread of related misinformation – the so-called COVID-19 infodemic – that makes populations more vulnerable to the disease through resistance to mitigation efforts. This article analyzes the prevalence and diffusion of links to low-credibility content about the COVID-19 pandemic across Twitter and Facebook. They characterize cross-platform similarities and differences in popular sources, diffusion patterns, influencers, coordination, and automation. Comparing the two platforms, authors found divergence among…
Global | Decision Psychology | Preferences/Values | Infectious Diseases | Social Determinants | Policy/Regulation | Culture/Society | Health/Medicine | Science/Technology | North America -
ArticlePublication 2021COVID-19, Fake News, and Vaccines: Should Regulation Be Implemented?
This article analyzes issues concerning the establishment of compulsory vaccination against COVID-19, as well as …
This article analyzes issues concerning the establishment of compulsory vaccination against COVID-19, as well as the role of misinformation as a disincentive – especially when published by health professionals – and citizen acceptance of measures in this regard. Data from different surveys revealed a high degree of hesitation rather than outright opposition to vaccines. The most frequent complaint related to the COVID-19 vaccination was the fear of side effects. Within the Spanish and European legislative…
Global | Decision Psychology | Preferences/Values | Infectious Diseases | Social Determinants | Policy/Regulation | Culture/Society | Education/Labor | Government/Law | Health/Medicine | Science/Technology -
NewsPublication 2020Managing the COVID-19 Infodemic: Promoting Healthy Behaviors and Mitigating the Harm from Misinformation and Disinformation
The COVID-19 pandemic is the first in history in which technology and social media are …
The COVID-19 pandemic is the first in history in which technology and social media are being used on a massive scale to keep people safe, informed, productive, and connected. At the same time, the technology we rely on to keep connected and informed enables and amplifies an infodemic that continues to undermine the global response and jeopardizes measures to control the pandemic. This description was adapted from the joint statement.
Global | Decision Psychology | Preferences/Values | Infectious Diseases | Social Determinants | Health Systems | Global Governance | Culture/Society | Government/Law | Health/Medicine | Science/Technology -
NewsPublication 2021Dispelling Misinformation, Countering Vaccine Hesitancy Vital to Beat COVID-19, Countries Affirm
This article discusses a political declaration launched by the United Nations General Assembly and addresses …
This article discusses a political declaration launched by the United Nations General Assembly and addresses misinformation and countering vaccine hesitancy as countries pledge to “work together as one” to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic, and help people and the planet to recover better. This description was adapted from the article summary.
Global | Infectious Diseases | Social Determinants | Global Governance | Culture/Society | Health/Medicine | Science/Technology -
ArticlePublication 2019Countering Misinformation with Lessons from Public Health
The internet is often praised as a tool for freedom of speech, democracy, and truth. …
The internet is often praised as a tool for freedom of speech, democracy, and truth. However, the internet increasingly has become polluted by misinformation – the inadvertent spread of misleading and false information – and disinformation – the deliberate and coordinated spread of misleading and false information. Individuals online knowingly and unknowingly spread dangerous rumors and propaganda at an alarming rate, which can mislead or manipulate the worldview of those who encounter it. False information…
Global | Decision Psychology | Preferences/Values | Infectious Diseases | Child/Nutrition | Social Determinants | Culture/Society | Health/Medicine | Science/Technology | North America -
ArticlePublication 1964Epidemics and Rumors
Goffman and Newill directed attention to the analogy between the spreading of an infectious disease …
Goffman and Newill directed attention to the analogy between the spreading of an infectious disease and the dissemination of information. This article examines the spreading of a rumor from the point of view of mathematical epidemiology and briefly reports on work to be published in detail elsewhere. Authors emphasize that a mathematical model for the spreading of rumors can be constructed in a number of different ways, depending on the mechanism postulated to describe the…
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ArticlePublication 2018How to Unring the Bell: A Meta-Analytic Approach to Correction of Misinformation
This study reports on a meta-analysis that attempts to correct misinformation. Results indicate that corrective …
This study reports on a meta-analysis that attempts to correct misinformation. Results indicate that corrective messages have a moderate influence on belief in misinformation; however, it is more difficult to correct for misinformation in the context of politics and marketing than health. Correction of real-world misinformation is more challenging, as opposed to constructed misinformation. Rebuttals are more effective than forewarnings, and appeals to coherence outperform fact-checking, and appeals to credibility. This description was adapted from…
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ArticlePublication 2017Increasing Vaccination: Putting Psychological Science into Action
Vaccination is one of the great achievements of the 20th century, yet persistent public health …
Vaccination is one of the great achievements of the 20th century, yet persistent public health problems include inadequate, delayed, and unstable vaccination uptake. Psychology offers three general propositions for understanding and intervening to increase uptake where vaccines are available and affordable. The first proposition is that thoughts and feelings can motivate getting vaccinated. Hundreds of studies have shown that risk beliefs and anticipated regret about infectious disease correlate reliably with getting vaccinated; low confidence in…
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