Combatting disinformation

SCI’s current work on disinformation is focused primarily on research, analysis, and writing. Through articles on the SCI website, we explore topics ranging from belief formation and polarization to trust in science, free speech, media, political identity, historical distortion, and the changing information environment. Much of this work asks a basic science communication question: What happens when facts alone are not enough? Understanding the answer is essential not only to countering disinformation, but also to improving how science is communicated and used in public life.

In 2025, SCI briefly explored creating a collaborative international network on disinformation, drawing on the model we used to build the Open Scholarship Initiative and CDRANet. We also developed and sought funding for a disinformation awareness and training education module (DATE). These ideas remain on the back burner while SCI focuses its resources elsewhere, but we continue to follow developments in the field and will return to more collaborative work in the future.