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Open Science: Developments and Disinformation Regarding Scientific Information
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Open Science: Developments and Disinformation Regarding Scientific Information

A special issue of Publications (ISSN 2304-6775).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 932

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Jorge Gallardo-Camacho

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Communication Sciences, Universidad Camilo José Cela, Madrid, Spain
Interests: communication; media; social networks; television; cyber
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Adriana Amado Suárez

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Communication and Humanities, Universidad Camilo José Cela, Madrid, Spain
Interests: social science
Prof. Dr. África Presol Herrero

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Communication, Universidad Camilo José Cela, Madrid, Spain
Interests: open science

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In an era of rapid digital communication and open science initiatives, ensuring the reliability of scientific information is paramount. Open science, with its emphasis on transparency, accessibility, and collaboration, holds the potential to revolutionize research. However, it also faces challenges, particularly when scientific findings are misinterpreted, manipulated, or weaponized to spread misinformation. This call for papers seeks to explore the intersection of open science and the fight against scientific disinformation, encouraging innovative approaches to safeguard the integrity of science while promoting its democratization.

We welcome submissions addressing, but not limited to, the following topics:

Open Science Developments

  1. The Role of Open Science in Democratizing Knowledge
    - Benefits of open access publications and data sharing.
    - Challenges in ensuring equitable access to scientific resources.
  1. Transparency in Open Science: Risks and Opportunities
    - How open science practices can be leveraged to combat disinformation.
    - Potential vulnerabilities of open data to misuse or misrepresentation.
  1. Collaborative Platforms in Open Science
    - Case studies on the use of open science platforms for interdisciplinary research.
    - The role of citizen science in fostering transparency and combating fake information.
  1. Ethical Considerations in Open Science
    - Balancing openness with privacy and security in sensitive research areas.
    - Strategies to ensure ethical use of openly shared data.

Disinformation and Scientific Communication

  1. Misinformation on Social Media About Scientific Content
    - The role of algorithms in amplifying false scientific claims.
    - Case studies of viral misinformation campaigns related to science.
  1. Misinformation in Traditional Media About Scientific Content
    - Analysis of journalistic practices that contribute to spreading scientific inaccuracies.
    - The impact of sensationalism on public understanding of science.
  1. Fighting Against Disinformation
    - Strategies and tools to identify and counteract scientific disinformation.
    - Collaborative approaches between scientists and journalists.
  1. Tips to Avoid Scientific Misinformation
    - Practical guidelines for individuals to verify the credibility of scientific information.
    - Promoting digital literacy to combat the spread of false science claims.

Quantification and Impact

  1. Quantifying Scientific Disinformation
    - Metrics and methodologies to measure the prevalence and impact of scientific disinformation.
    - Comparative studies on disinformation trends across regions or disciplines.

Prof. Dr. Jorge Gallardo-Camacho
Prof. Dr. Adriana Amado Suárez
Prof. Dr. África Presol Herrero
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Publications is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • open science
  • scientific disinformation
  • fake news
  • misinformation in media
  • digital literacy
  • science communication
  • open access
  • data transparency

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

32 pages, 4415 KiB  
Review
Disinformation in the Digital Age: Climate Change, Media Dynamics, and Strategies for Resilience
by Andrea Tomassi, Andrea Falegnami and Elpidio Romano
Publications 2025, 13(2), 24; https://doi.org/10.3390/publications13020024 - 6 May 2025
Viewed by 112
Abstract
Scientific disinformation has emerged as a critical challenge at the interface of science and society. This paper examines how false or misleading scientific content proliferates across both social media and traditional media and evaluates strategies to counteract its spread. We conducted a comprehensive [...] Read more.
Scientific disinformation has emerged as a critical challenge at the interface of science and society. This paper examines how false or misleading scientific content proliferates across both social media and traditional media and evaluates strategies to counteract its spread. We conducted a comprehensive literature review of research on scientific misinformation across disciplines and regions, with particular focus on climate change and public health as exemplars. Our findings indicate that social media algorithms and user dynamics can amplify false scientific claims, as seen in case studies of viral misinformation campaigns on vaccines and climate change. Traditional media, meanwhile, are not immune to spreading inaccuracies—journalistic practices such as sensationalism or “false balance” in reporting have at times distorted scientific facts, impacting public understanding. We review efforts to fight disinformation, including technological tools for detection, the application of inoculation theory and prebunking techniques, and collaborative approaches that bridge scientists and journalists. To empower individuals, we propose practical guidelines for critically evaluating scientific information sources and emphasize the importance of digital and scientific literacy. Finally, we discuss methods to quantify the prevalence and impact of scientific disinformation—ranging from social network analysis to surveys of public belief—and compare trends across regions and scientific domains. Our results underscore that combating scientific disinformation requires an interdisciplinary, multi-pronged approach, combining improvements in science communication, education, and policy. We conducted a scoping review of 85 open-access studies focused on climate-related misinformation and disinformation, selected through a systematic screening process based on PRISMA criteria. This approach was chosen to address the lack of comprehensive mappings that synthesize key themes and identify research gaps in this fast-growing field. The analysis classified the literature into 17 thematic clusters, highlighting key trends, gaps, and emerging challenges in the field. Our results reveal a strong dominance of studies centered on social media amplification, political denialism, and cognitive inoculation strategies, while underlining a lack of research on fact-checking mechanisms and non-Western contexts. We conclude with recommendations for strengthening the resilience of both the public and information ecosystems against the spread of false scientific claims. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Open Science: Developments and Disinformation Regarding Scientific Information)
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