This guide will give an overview of this topic and identify some strategies to help staff and students meet this issue.
An infodemic is too much information including false or misleading information in digital and physical environments during a disease outbreak.
WHO: Who.int. 2022. Infodemic. [online] Available at: https://www.who.int/health-topics/infodemic [Accessed 12 April 2022].
A deliberate attempt to mislead using material that the deceiver knows is untrue, designed to be widely shared.
BBC.co.uk. 2022. [online] Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/beyondfakenews/fakenewsdefinitions/ [Accessed 12 April 2022].
An umbrella term to describe false, misleading or out of context material regardless of the motivation behind it.
BBC.co.uk. 2022. [online] Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/beyondfakenews/fakenewsdefinitions/ [Accessed 12 April 2022].
False, often sensational, information disseminated under the guise of news reporting.
Collins Dictionary. 2022. [online] Available at: https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/fake-news [Accessed 12 April 2022].
How recent is this? Is it at the right time frame for you? Has info been revised at all.
Does the info actually answer the question or topic it starts trying to address? Who is it for? Is the information level appropriate? Is this the best source? Are you comfortable using it in academic work?
Who is the author and their colleagues? Is it sponsored? Are there any affiliations? Is the author qualified to write on the topic? Is there traceable info about them? Does the URL look legitimate (Look out for .ac.uk, .gov, .org or country initials).
Where is the info coming from and is there evidence to support it? Has it been reviewed by others? Can it be verified form another source or personal experience? Is it unbiased and temperate or is it inflammatory and full of emotion? How is the spelling or grammar?
Why is the information there? What is it’s purpose e.g. trying to sell you something? Are the intentions or purpose clear? Is it fact or opinion? Is it impartial, objective and unbiased? Are there political, ideological, institutional or other biases?
Where is this coming from? What is the reputation of the site/ source?
Is this the right place to find this information? Is it relevant to your search?
Is this the best place to get this info? Look for a trusted source.
Go back to the original if possible. If you can’t find it ask yourself why?
Things to do:
Fact checking sites can be useful to help you trace sources and see if there is corroborating evidence.
