Learning from Each Other—A Bibliometric Review of Research on Information Disorders

Abstract

Interest in research connected to information disorders has grown considerably in recent years. The phrase “information disorders” refers to three different notions: dis-, mis-, and malinformation. It is difficult to pin down this new and dynamic phenomenon of informational disruption and to assess its impact on society. Therefore, we conducted a bibliometric analysis on the complexity of information disorders using the Web of Science Core Collection database from 1975 to June 2021. We analyzed 8964 papers with the goal to have an overall picture of the topic, clarify the knowledge framework of research in this field, examine the development dynamics, identify future research directions and increase the understanding of the research on information disorders. The following are our main findings: the number of publications, authors, and journals has increased; research on information disorders has earned considerable attention in multiple academic fields; there are more and more works written in collaboration by scholars from different parts and cultures of the world. This paper makes important contributions to the literature, not only by providing researchers and practitioners with a coherent and perceptible intellectual basis to find answers, but also by bringing valuable insights for further investigation and future research directions.