Abstract

Context: Thanks to the invention of the WWW and HTTP, the production and consumption of information have reached new heights, with millions of bits of information being created and shared online every second. Such an explosion of information has raised significant concerns regarding the credibility and authenticity of the information being shared and consumed. The COVID pandemic of 2020 is testimony to the effects of ‘misinformation’, ‘disinformation’, and ‘fake news’. Aim: It is, hence, essential to carry out studies that track the evolution and trace the trend line of scholarly literature on this phenomenon and its effects. Setting and Design: The study attempts to investigate the prolific scientific literature published in terms of countries and research areas. Methods and materials: A total of 7781 journal articles over the study period from 1993 to 2022 were studied using the Web of Science database. The study has employed VoSviewer for the mapping of the scientific iterature. Statistical analysis used: The study quantifies the chronological growth of research literature using tools such as Annual Growth Rate (AGR), Relative Growth Rate (RGR), and Doubling Time (Dt). Results: The mapping of research data indicates the trend line and growth of literature in the study area. It is found that there has been a considerable increase in the research literature published on the areas of ‘misinformation’, ‘disinformation’, and ‘fake news’ in recent times.

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