Navigating Credibility of Online Information during COVID-19: Using mnemonics to equip the public to spot red flags in health information online (preprint)

Misinformation creates challenges for the general public to determine truth from fiction in online content. During covid-19 this issue was amplified due to high volumes of news and changing information. Evidence on misinformation largely focuses on understanding the psychology of misinformation and debunking strategies, but neglects to explore critical thinking education for the general public. This viewpoint outlines the science of misinformation and the current resources available to the public. This paper describes the development and theoretical underpinnings of a mnemonic (“CRABS”) for identifying misinformation in online health content. Leveraging evidence-based educational strategies may be a promising tool for empowering the public with confidence to determine truth from fiction in an infodemic
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Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.

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