A special feature in Health Security will be devoted to analysis of health emergency related infodemics, communication policy needs, and public health practices to overcome misinformation and disinformation during health events. The term “infodemic” is used to denote a rapid, large-scale spread of health information and misinformation through a variety of media and informational channels. The COVID-19 infodemic has been particularly difficult to manage. An overabundance of information—some accurate and some not—makes it difficult for people to easily separate false from true information. Infodemics and the spread of health misinformation are a global and multifaceted phenomena, calling for both specific theoretical frameworks and applied tools for measurement and analysis, as well as for the coordination of public health institutions, policy makers, information professionals, researchers, journalists, information technology experts, digital platforms and the entire civil society in containing its negative effects by means of evidence-based joint efforts and policies. The journal seeks papers that address the wide range of policy, practice, and research issues relevant to infodemiology and the management of infodemics during large-scale health events.
Exploration of the communication environment during COVID-19 or other public health disasters
Investigation of the role of social media and other emerging or recently emerged communication platforms in exacerbating the infodemic
Examination of the potential effects of interventions on public understanding during infectious disease events or public health disasters
New insights on the spread and sources of misinformation and disinformation
Consideration of official strategies or policy approaches to manage the infodemic
Practice reports of response agencies' communication efforts during COVID-19, other disease outbreaks, or public health disasters
Articles on other aspects of infodemiology as they relate to health events and emergencies are also welcome.
Benefits of publishing in this special feature include:
Rapid, high-quality peer review
Open access
Fast and user-friendly electronic submission
Maximum exposure: accessible in 170 countries worldwide
Information for Authors: The special feature section devoted to communication and health security will be published in the January/February 2021 issue of Health Security. Scholarly and review articles, descriptions of practice, and opinion and commentary pieces are welcome. Manuscripts can be up to 4,000 words exclusive of the abstract, tables, figures, and references. Please consult the journal website for specific submission instructions at www.liebertpub.com/hs
The deadline for manuscript submissions is October 31, 2020. Papers must be submitted via our online manuscript peer review system at https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/healthsecurity. Questions concerning this special feature may be directed to Tara Kirk Sell (tksell@jhu.edu), Marc Trotochaud (mtrotoc1@jhu.edu), or Divya Hosangadi (dhosang1@jhu.edu).
