SynthesisBulletin of the World Health Organization2021
COVID-19-related misinformation on social media: a systematic review.
Synthesis in Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 121 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
121 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Development of a Conceptual Framework of Health Misinformation During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Systematic Review of Reviews.JMIR public health and surveillance · 2025Pooled it
- Management of infodemics in outbreaks or health crises: a systematic review.Frontiers in public health · 2024Pooled it
- The Prevalence, Features, Influencing Factors, and Solutions for COVID-19 Vaccine Misinformation: Systematic Review.JMIR public health and surveillance · 2023Pooled it
- Infodemics and health misinformation: a systematic review of reviews.Bulletin of the World Health Organization · 2022Pooled it
- Misinformation About COVID-19 Vaccines on Social Media: Rapid Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2022Pooled it
- Greater Improvements in Vaccination Outcomes Among Black Young Adults With Vaccine-Resistant Attitudes in the United States South Following a Digital Health Intervention: Latent Profile Analysis of a Randomized Control Trial.JMIR public health and surveillance · 2025Trial
- Game-based inoculation versus graphic-based inoculation to combat misinformation: a randomized controlled trial.Cognitive research: principles and implications · 2023Trial
- Fighting COVID-19 Misinformation through an Online Game Based on the Inoculation Theory: Analyzing the Mediating Effects of Perceived Threat and Persuasion Knowledge.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Trial
- Misinformation Through the Lens of Dutch News Media and Public Health Authorities: Content Analysis of Topics and Narratives Present in Pandemic-Related Misinformation During COVID-19.JMIR infodemiology · 2026Article
- When social media becomes medicine: clinician-moderated online consultations as an informal healthcare access point.Israel journal of health policy research · 2026Observational
- The Double-Edged Role of Social Media in Modern Healthcare: Awareness, Impact, and Misinformation.Journal of immunotherapy and precision oncology · 2026Review
- Rapid Epidemiological Data Collection on Social Media for COVID-19: Comparative Study Between Online Surveys and Conventional Cohorts.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Observational
- Grocery store workers' knowledge, attitudes, and barriers influencing uptake of COVID-19 vaccine in the United States: a qualitative study.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Quality and reliability of knee osteoarthritis-related information on short video platforms in China: a multi-method cross-sectional study.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Understanding crisis dynamics during public health emergencies: an integrated framework of social consequences, trust, and behavioral responses.Frontiers in public health · 2026Review
- A socio-ecological approach to the determinants of animal health management: A scoping review.PloS one · 2026Article
- Quality evaluation of scar management information on TikTok: a cross-sectional study.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Internet Memes as Drivers of Health Narratives and Infodemics: Integrative Review.JMIR infodemiology · 2025Review
- Quality evaluation of stroke-related information on TikTok: a cross-sectional study.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- A multi-disciplinary exploration of the press review of the Italian National Institute of Health during the COVID-19 pandemic.Human vaccines & immunotherapeutics · 2025Article
61 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo review misinformation related to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on social media during the first phase of the pandemic and to discuss ways of countering misinformation.
methodsWe searched PubMed®, Scopus, Embase®, PsycInfo and Google Scholar databases on 5 May 2020 and 1 June 2020 for publications related to COVID-19 and social media which dealt with misinformation and which were primary empirical studies. We followed the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses and the guidelines for using a measurement tool to assess systematic reviews. Evidence quality and the risk of bias of included studies were classified using the grading of recommendations assessment, development and evaluation approach. The review is registered in the international prospective register of systematic reviews (PROSPERO; CRD42020182154).
findingsWe identified 22 studies for inclusion in the qualitative synthesis. The proportion of COVID-19 misinformation on social media ranged from 0.2% (413/212 846) to 28.8% (194/673) of posts. Of the 22 studies, 11 did not categorize the type of COVID-19-related misinformation, nine described specific misinformation myths and two reported sarcasm or humour related to COVID-19. Only four studies addressed the possible consequences of COVID-19-related misinformation: all reported that it led to fear or panic.
conclusionSocial media play an increasingly important role in spreading both accurate information and misinformation. The findings of this review may help health-care organizations prepare their responses to subsequent phases in the COVID-19 infodemic and to future infodemics in general.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.