Information literacy is crucial in our digitalised society, where access to information is easier and more abundant than ever before. It empowers us to locate, evaluate, and effectively, as well as ethically, use information in private and professional contexts. Without information literacy, individuals may struggle to make informed decisions or, even worse, fall prey to misinformation.
Science literacy, which we consider a part of information literacy, refers to an individual’s understanding of science and its methods, as well as their ability to critically evaluate scientific information and arguments (Liu, 2009). Science literacy is an important aspect of being an informed citizen in a democratic society, as it allows individuals to understand and engage with scientific issues that have an impact on their lives or even society as a whole (National Research Council et al., 2007, p. 34). This is especially essential during a pandemic, when misinformation can have serious consequences for public health and safety (Loomba et al., 2021).
The COVID-19 pandemic is a prime example of the importance of science literacy for everyone. The ongoing pandemic has highlighted the need for individuals to be able to critically evaluate and understand scientific information, as well as navigate the vast amount of information that is available on the internet and social media. The lack of science literacy skills can result in confusion, misinformation, and a lack of trust in scientific authorities and experts.
The concept of “scientificness” refers to the degree to which something is perceived as scientific or having characteristics of science (Thomm & Bromme, 2012). Scientificness and credibility are closely linked. People who associate a high level of scientificness with, for example, a specific style of documents are likely to rate their credibility higher as well (Zaboski & Therriault, 2020). However, something that appears to be scientific does not necessarily have to be accurate or true. In fact, a scientific appearance might be used to “claim” the categories of scientificness and credibility for something that is not: This is called pseudoscience (O’Brien et al., 2021).
Our paper focuses on perceived scientificness and credibility of information. We conducted a scoping review of scientific literature to summarise the various factors that can mislead individuals into thinking information is credible or scientific, even when it is not. Furthermore, we discuss different types and ways of emergence of scientific misinformation or pseudoscience. Critically evaluating scientific health information is a challenging task, but with the help of information literacy, it is possible to become more discerning consumers of scientific information and better equipped to make informed decisions. By understanding the various factors that can mislead us, we can then build greater resilience to misinformation and pseudoscience.
References
- Liu, X. (2009). Beyond science literacy: Science and the public. International Journal of Environmental and Science Education, 4(3), 301–311.
- Loomba, S., de Figueiredo, A., Piatek, S. J., de Graaf, K., & Larson, H. J. (2021). Measuring the impact of COVID-19 vaccine misinformation on vaccination intent in the UK and USA. Nature Human Behaviour, 5(3), 337–348. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-021-01056-1
- National Research Council, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education, Board on Science Education, Center for Education, Committee on Science Learning, Duschl, R. A., Schweingruber, H. A., & Shouse, A. W. (2007). Taking science to school. National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/11625
- O’Brien, T. C., Palmer, R., & Albarracin, D. (2021). Misplaced trust: When trust in science fosters belief in pseudoscience and the benefits of critical evaluation. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 96, 104184. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2021.104184
- Thomm, E., & Bromme, R. (2012). “It should at least seem scientific!” Textual features of “scientificness” and their impact on lay assessments of online information. Science Education, 96(2), 187–211. https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.20480
- Zaboski, B. A., & Therriault, D. J. (2020). Faking science: Scientificness, credibility, and belief in pseudoscience. Educational Psychology, 40(7), 820–837. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2019.1694646
Maria Henkel, Armin Jacob, Lennart Perrey
ZBW Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, Kiel, Germany
English 
French