About Conspiracy Theories and Misinformation

Conspiracy theories and misinformation have received notable attention from researchers in the last decade, but especially in response to the Brexit vote, the presidency of Donald Trump, and the COVID-19 pandemic. The explosion in the number of studies addressing these topics has led to a vastly improved understanding of the varied causes and potential behavioral consequences of beliefs in conspiracy theories and misinformation, particularly during times of crisis.

Despite the increased attention and notable advancements in this field, the understandable pressure to publish quickly during crises have prompted concerns regarding the robustness and generalizability of extant findings. While the interdisciplinary research agenda into conspiracy theories has been comprehensive and thorough, there remains a lack of overarching analyses of the many varied findings, and fully pre-registered replications of this work are still in their infancy.

In this Collection, we call for submissions that focus on quantifying and interpreting specific portions of, or more globally, the conspiracy theory and misinformation literature, and submissions that attempt to provide further scientific robustness to the extant or emerging findings. Favored articles include, but are not limited to: Meta-analyses, theoretical and scoping reviews, and registered reports seeking to address established findings in the literature. This work may focus on the predictors of beliefs in conspiracy theories and misinformation, the individual, social, and institutional consequences of these beliefs, and/or interventions aimed at reducing individuals’ susceptibility to accessing, believing, and sharing dubious ideas. 

Keywords: Conspiracy theories, misinformation, disinformation, inoculation theory, propaganda, populism, polarization, trust, behavioral consequences, psychological predictors

Any questions about this Collection? Please email editorial@routledgeopenresearch.org