China
Africa
Summary
Manipulated and falsified information is the most severe short-term risk the world faces, as highlighted in the World Economic Forum Global Risks Report 2024. Misinformation and disinformation have the propensity to erode public trust by sowing doubt around pertinent issues.
Our T&F position statement showcases the value that we as publishers uphold in maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record, integral to our approach in improving public trust and awareness. We encourage continued discussions with policymakers about how we can work in collaboration to promote opening up access to research, while protecting the integrity of the scholarly record, academic security, and research integrity of the scholarly ecosystem.
Definitions
Misinformation is false or inaccurate information that is unintentionally spread, often due to lack of knowledge, misunderstanding, or error.
Disinformation is false or misleading information deliberately spread with the intent to deceive or manipulate public opinion.
Malinformation is a piece of information that is based in truth but is intentionally conveyed to inflict harm.
To learn more about the nuances of the different categories of misinformation, read our insight piece.
The Issue
Misinformation and disinformation, although not new in the context of communication, present a different type of complex threat to the integrity of scholarly communication.
Fraudulent research has long been an existing issue for the entire publishing industry and the scholarly ecosystem. However, while misinformation may result from areas of research malpractice, incidents are also increasingly arising from failure to rigorously vet research practices, as well as poorly or misreported research. Disinformation may infiltrate scholarly literature in a variety of ways, therefore specific cases may be more difficult to identify and prove. Cases may arise through competing interests, highly selective reference choices, omitting research that points to counter arguments, or biased handling of editorial and peer review. However, this phenomenon is not unique to disinformation and allegations of both misinformation and disinformation are more likely to arise in controversial disciplines and politically charged topics of study, or where there may be more cause for competing interests.
As stakeholders, uses and channels of communication become more sophisticated, at T&F we are expanding our focus to more nuanced cases of misinformation and disinformation in academic research – both of which can arise from poorly conducted and reported research or conflicting interests, as well as from the act of fraudulent research itself.
The issue is further complicated and propounded with rising cases of malicious use and misguided use of generative AI. It is therefore growing increasingly important to understand the distinction between the signs of disinformation and misinformation in scholarly research, as well as ways in which all stakeholders in the scholarly ecosystem can help to combat this increasingly concerning issue. For example, the Australian government has recently taken action in this space, stating that it will continue to prioritise combatting misinformation and disinformation online and help ensure responsible development and use of AI.
T&F Approach
In recognition of the above issue, T&F has adapted and refined its approach to dealing with misinformation and disinformation, as highlighted below.
We strive to preserve public trust by requiring checks to be performed on articles submitted to our journals. We facilitate a peer review process conducted by experts to ensure the integrity of the studies we publish for access to the research community and the wider public. We are strong supporters of open research and open publishing practices, while also offering vetted certificates of confidentiality to applicable areas of study. We encourage reproducibility in research studies as part of our content.
We strive to combine media literacy with community input by supporting education on media literacy and making our research outputs more broadly accessible, through partnerships with universities, governments, and the overall market trend towards open research. We continue to educate readers and authors about effective modes of discerning reliable sources from unreliable sources. This broader consolidation and greater accessibility to well-researched information may help individuals become better equipped to discern credible information from misinformation and even disinformation. Ensuring we hold our teams accountable to follow our stringent procedures, enables the public to be better supported in navigating the breadth of types of information across a complex media landscape, as well as helping to avoid false or misleading content.
We strive to hear and address concerns about the scientific process and continue to be transparent about sampling methods, coding methods, and other parts of the research process that may be improved. Misinformation and disinformation thrive in environments where media literacy is low and trust in institutions has eroded. We advocate for and support ethical research and scientific communications within the industry. Our media campaigns follow industry-leading science communication best practice, aligned to the media guidelines of Stempra to ensure research is responsibly and accurately communicated to the global media, without sensationalism or hyperbole. In line with this approach, we also follow The Academy of Medical Science’s recommendations to help raise trust in science press releases, by providing a clear label showing whether research findings have been through peer-review, together with a summary of the type of research. We encourage adherence to ethical practices in how our content is communicated outside of traditional academic spaces and in larger media outlets.
T&F Guiding Principles
Within the wider technology environment, particularly considering social media and the current rise of generative AI, it is even more imperative that scholarly publishers maintain a robust policy framework on misinformation and disinformation that guides the work we do for the communities we serve.
As part of our commitment to our role as guardian of the scholarly record and knowledge distributor, we adopt these guiding principles:
- Commitment to Integrity and Transparency
As a leading academic publisher, we commit to maintaining the highest standards of accuracy and integrity in the content we publish. This includes a commitment to ensuring that, to the best of our knowledge, our published research is based on sound methodology and supported by reliable and robust evidence. We commit to rectifying misinformation and maintaining and upholding the accuracy of the scholarly record as affirmed in our policies regarding retracting or correcting articles in cases of identified errors, inaccuracies, or misconduct. We promote transparency and disclosure practices to ensure the integrity of the content we publish and provide secure indicators of trust to our readers. This may involve requiring authors to disclose funding sources, conflicts of interest, their contributor roles to the research, and any potential limitations or biases in their work.
- Ethical Conduct
As members of COPE, we hold our authors, researchers, editors, and peer reviewers to strict ethical standards throughout the research and publication process. This includes promoting our guidelines on data integrity, authorship attribution, and conflicts of interest disclosure, as well as on the use of AI and large language models. Where we identify misinformation or disinformation and have finalised ethical investigation, we endeavor to publish corrective content as swiftly as possible.
- Peer Review Process
We hold our processes to rigorous peer review standards to maintain the quality and credibility of our published research. We ensure that our reviewers are experts in their respective fields and adhere to best practice in the peer review process. We participate in events and workshops which bring together researchers and publishing experts, to address various aspects of peer review related to ethical integrity innovation and diversity in peer review.
- Education, Awareness, and Accessibility
We prioritise education and awareness initiatives aimed at combating misinformation within the academic community and the wider public. We work in partnership with both Wikipedia Library and Wikimedia Foundation. These arrangements allow us to continue to provide trusted Wikipedia editors with immediate access to T&F journal content. Our partnership with Sense about Science allows us to work with researchers to prioritise community-led research to better promote public interest in sound science and evidence. We partner with the Science Media Centre, Australian Science Media Centre, and the Media Center for Education Research Australia to encourage responsible reporting of scientific research in the media and support researchers in engaging with journalists. We are also co-leading a cross-publisher initiative to provide a central resource of peer-reviewed plain language content, making it simpler to discover and identify high-quality information. To learn more about our partnerships, blogs and reports around science and evidence in public debates and policymaking, visit our Research Impact Hub.
- Cross Industry Collaboration and Advocacy
We continue to engage in collaborative efforts with other publishing bodies and stakeholders, such as academic institutions, funding agencies, and trade associations, to address misinformation collectively. We advocate for policies and practices that promote integrity and transparency in scholarly research in our memberships, including COPE, NISO, and STM.
Call to action
We alongside all stakeholders including science journalism experts, librarians, researchers, policy experts, and other publishing professionals, have a duty to communicate and collaborate with each other and the public about how we tackle misinformation and disinformation.
For our part, this means a commitment to staying informed about new tactics and industries arising around misinformation and disinformation propagation: this includes updating our strategies and tools to address evolving challenges as they relate to misinformation and disinformation.