Unveiling Deception: Establishing a Taxonomic Framework for Disinformation Within Scientific Discourse

Disinformation spreads among the public and in scientific discourse throughthe actions of individuals, organizations, and governments that distortscholarly communications, media narratives, and institutional trust. Thistaxonomy introduces a structured framework and specialized set of definitionsto elucidate the key participants, platforms, and strategies employed in thepropagation of disinformation. Enhanced comprehension of the mechanisms andpathways of scientific disinformation equips journalists and policymakers withthe tools necessary to more effectively recognize and address these issues. Theauthors developed this taxonomy of disinformation through a multi-facetedapproach, encompassing a literature review, expert review, and case studyanalysis. The literature review revealed a scarcity of taxonomical modelsamidst prevalent algorithmic detection studies. Subsequently, an expert reviewprocess refined our taxonomy through collaborative analysis of twenty-two casesof identified disinformation, categorized by their methods, motives, andimpacts. Finally, we validated and fine-tuned our taxonomy through detailedcase studies of twelve diverse disinformation instances, assessing thetaxonomy's effectiveness in capturing the essential characteristics of eachcase and making necessary adjustments to ensure its relevance and accuracy inreal-world applications.