Misinformation in and about science

Abstract

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 and citation misdirection, predatory publishing, and filter bubbles. In this perspective, we highlight these parallels and discuss future research directions and interventions.

Graphical integrity issues in open access publications: Detection and patterns of proportional ink violations

“…Studies about graphical integrity issues in science are, in contrast, much less common. These issues, however, can be part of more significant problems such as misinformation [ 23 ], and therefore are essential to understand. Moreover, the degradation of information quality from science to the public might exacerbate the problems: researchers have found inadequate reporting of research in the news [ 24 ] and exaggerations of research from press releases [ 25 ].…”

Formalized Journal-Style Review Process: Improving the Quality of Students’ Work

“…When we publish our research, we are not assigned a letter grade. The quality of our published papers arises indirectly, initially by the journal impact factor and later by citation counts, which are also subject to manipulation (West and Bergstrom, 2021). Unfortunately, students do not usually publish their work in journals.…”

Asymptomatic infection is the pandemic’s dark matter

“…By contrast, aerosol production is a normal outcome of quiet breathing, and aerosol volume is markedly increased by activities like shouting and singing, which may explain the prominence of musical events as settings for superspreading events ( 8 ). The paradoxical nature of asymptomatic infection in a virulent disease with high infection fatality ( 9 ) is conceptually challenging, and may help contribute to misinformation and disinformation that have been a serious challenge in managing the pandemic ( 10 ). …”

“…The paradoxical nature of asymptomatic infection in a virulent disease with high infection fatality ( 9 ) is conceptually challenging, and may help contribute to misinformation and disinformation that have been a serious challenge in managing the pandemic ( 10 ).…”