Content characteristics predict the putative authenticity of COVID-19 rumors.

Rumors regarding COVID-19 have been prevalent on the Internet and affect the control of the COVID-19 pandemic. Using 1,296 COVID-19 rumors collected from an online platform (piyao.org.cn) in China, we found measurable differences in the content characteristics between true and false rumors. We revealed that the length of a rumor's headline is negatively related to the probability of a rumor being true [odds ratio () = 0.37, (0.30, 0.44)]. In contrast, the length of a rumor's statement is positively related to this probability [ = 1.11, (1.09, 1.13)]. In addition, we found that a rumor is more likely to be true if it contains concrete places [ = 20.83, (9.60, 48.98)] and it specifies the date or time of events [ = 22.31, (9.63, 57.92)]. The rumor is also likely to be true when it does not evoke positive or negative emotions [ = 0.15, (0.08, 0.29)] and does not include a call for action [ = 0.06, (0.02, 0.12)]. By contrast, the presence of source cues [ = 0.64, (0.31, 1.28)] and visuals [ = 1.41, (0.53, 3.73)] is related to this probability with limited significance. Our findings provide some clues for identifying COVID-19 rumors using their content characteristics.