ArticleJournal of medical Internet research2023
Defining Misinformation and Related Terms in Health-Related Literature: Scoping Review.
Article in Journal of medical Internet research, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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
21 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline 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
- Healthy Trust and Pandemic Readiness in the Context of Messenger RNA Vaccines: Protocol for a Sequential Deliberative Dialogue Study.JMIR research protocols · 2026Article
- Defining Health Misinformation: Theoretical Concept Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Review
- AI and Digital Tools in Dermatology: Addressing Access and Misinformation.JMIR dermatology · 2026Review
- Hedging, ambiguity, and the rejection of misinformation: evidence from Chinese readers.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- An Exploratory Typology of Tobacco-Related Misleading Content on Social Media: Qualitative Analysis of Instagram and TikTok.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Addressing misleading medical information on social media: a scoping review of current interventions.BMJ evidence-based medicine · 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
- Public health disinformation, conflict, and disease outbreaks: a global narrative integrative review to guide new directions for health diplomacy.Global health action · 2025Review
- Building an analytical framework for tobacco-related information on social media: an exploratory analysis with generative AI assistance.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Risk, Responsibility, and Prevention in Injury Management: Implications of Concussion (mis)education on Youth Athlete Knowledge Uptake.Communication & sport · 2025Article
- Medical Misinformation in AI-Assisted Self-Diagnosis: Development of a Method (EvalPrompt) for Analyzing Large Language Models.JMIR formative research · 2025Article
- Article
- Health-Related Messages About Herbs, Spices, and Other Botanicals Appearing in Print Issues and Websites of Legacy Media: Content Analysis and Evaluation.JMIR formative research · 2024Article
- Misinformation About Climate Change and Related Environmental Events on Social Media: Protocol for a Scoping Review.JMIR research protocols · 2024Article
- Reimagining How We Synthesize Information to Impact Clinical Care, Policy, and Research Priorities in Real Time: Examples and Lessons Learned from COVID-19.Journal of general internal medicine · 2024Article
- A qualitative study of knowledge, beliefs and misinformation regarding COVID-19 in selected districts in Zimbabwe.BMC public health · 2024Article
- HPV Vaccination Information Access, Needs, and Preferences Among Black and Hispanic Mothers.Journal of health communication · 2024Article
- Choosing and accessing COVID-19 treatment options: a qualitative study with patients, caregivers, and health care providers in Lebanon.Health research policy and systems · 2024Article
- How older adults manage misinformation and information overload - A qualitative study.BMC public health · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMisinformation poses a serious challenge to clinical and policy decision-making in the health field. The COVID-19 pandemic amplified interest in misinformation and related terms and witnessed a proliferation of definitions.
objectiveWe aim to assess the definitions of misinformation and related terms used in health-related literature.
methodsWe conducted a scoping review of systematic reviews by searching Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane, and Epistemonikos databases for articles published within the last 5 years up till March 2023. Eligible studies were systematic reviews that stated misinformation or related terms as part of their objectives, conducted a systematic search of at least one database, and reported at least 1 definition for misinformation or related terms. We extracted definitions for the terms misinformation, disinformation, fake news, infodemic, and malinformation. Within each definition, we identified concepts and mapped them across misinformation-related terms.
resultsWe included 41 eligible systematic reviews, out of which 32 (78%) reviews addressed the topic of public health emergencies (including the COVID-19 pandemic) and contained 75 definitions for misinformation and related terms. The definitions consisted of 20 for misinformation, 19 for disinformation, 10 for fake news, 24 for infodemic, and 2 for malinformation. "False/inaccurate/incorrect" was mentioned in 15 of 20 definitions of misinformation, 13 of 19 definitions of disinformation, 5 of 10 definitions of fake news, 6 of 24 definitions of infodemic, and 0 of 2 definitions of malinformation. Infodemic had 19 of 24 definitions addressing "information overload" and malinformation had 2 of 2 definitions with "accurate" and 1 definition "used in the wrong context." Out of all the definitions, 56 (75%) were referenced from other sources.
conclusionsWhile the definitions of misinformation and related terms in the health field had inconstancies and variability, they were largely consistent. Inconstancies related to the intentionality in misinformation definitions (7 definitions mention "unintentional," while 5 definitions have "intentional"). They also related to the content of infodemic (9 definitions mention "valid and invalid info," while 6 definitions have "false/inaccurate/incorrect"). The inclusion of concepts such as "intentional" may be difficult to operationalize as it is difficult to ascertain one's intentions. This scoping review has the strength of using a systematic method for retrieving articles but does not cover all definitions in the extant literature outside the field of health. This scoping review of the health literature identified several definitions for misinformation and related terms, which showed variability and included concepts that are difficult to operationalize. Health practitioners need to exert caution before labeling a piece of information as misinformation or any other related term and only do so after ascertaining accurateness and sometimes intentionality. Additional efforts are needed to allow future consensus around clear and operational definitions.
Indexed as
Identifiers
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.