Infodemic, Misinformation and Disinformation in Pandemics: Scientific Landscape and the Road Ahead for Public Health Informatics Research

Abstract

In response to epidemics and pandemics, access to authentic sources of information plays a critical role in informing public health practices. However, infodemic, i.e., an overabundance of health information, misinformation, and disinformation, impede implementing best public health policies during a public health crisis such as COVID-19. In this bibliometric study, we aim to report on concept mapping of infodemic literature, and in line with the World Health Organization (WHO)’s repeated calls for actions in managing infodemic, we highlight fruitful avenues for future directions. Through a visualization approach on a set of 414 records, a concept mapping was carried out. This map revealed 42 infodemic-related nodes in five clusters. We also propose an infodemic research platform in which a combination of the research nodes (e.g., COVID, pandemic, disinformation, fake news, post-truth, fact-checking, social networks, Facebook, WhatsApp, and lockdown) with impactful questions suggest future directions.