CHU de Québec-Université Laval Research Center, Québec, QC, Canada.
Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada.
JMIR Res Protoc. 2024 Oct 31;13:e59345. doi: 10.2196/59345.
Climate change and related environmental events represent major global challenges and are often accompanied by the spread of misinformation on social media. According to previous reviews, the dissemination of this misinformation on various social media platforms requires deeper exploration. Moreover, the findings reported applied mainly to the context of the United States, limiting the possibility of extending the results to other settings.
This study aims to assess the current state of knowledge about misinformation concerning climate change and related environmental events that are circulating on social media. More specifically, we will explore past and current themes, actors, and sources, and the dissemination of this misinformation within the Canadian context.
This scoping review protocol follows the methodological approach developed by Arksey and O'Malley and advanced by Levac, complemented by the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews) checklist and the best practice guidance for the development of scoping review protocols. Following the identification of the research questions and assisted by a specialized librarian, we developed search strategies for selected bibliographic databases (MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, and GreenFILE) and for gray literature (Google and pertinent databases) searches. Bibliographic and gray literature will be searched to identify relevant publications. In total, 2 members of our team will use the review software Covidence (Veritas Health Innovation) to independently select publications to include in the review. Publications specifically addressing our research questions, peer-reviewed, evidence-based, and published from January 1, 2000, in the full-text version in English or French will be included. Data will be extracted from the included publications to chart, among other items, the years of publication, geographic areas, themes, actors, and sources of the climate change-related misinformation and conclusions reported. Our team will then synthesize the extracted data to articulate the current state of knowledge relating to our research inquiries.
The research questions were identified in January 2024. The search strategies were developed from January to March 2024 for MEDLINE, Embase, and Web of Science and in July 2024 for GreenFILE and gray literature. MEDLINE, Embase, and Web of Science searches were launched on March 26, 2024. The first of 2 rounds of selection of publications identified through these databases was achieved in April 2024.
This protocol will enable us to identify the evolution of themes, actors, and sources of misinformation regarding climate change and related environmental events on social media, including the latest platforms, and to potentially identify a context particular to Canada. As misinformation is known to undermine actions and public support in the fight against climate change, we intend to facilitate the targeting of efforts to combat misinformation related to climate change in an up-to-date and contextualized manner.
INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/59345.
气候变化和相关环境事件是全球性的重大挑战，往往伴随着社交媒体上错误信息的传播。根据之前的评论，各种社交媒体平台上错误信息的传播需要更深入的探讨。此外，报告的研究结果主要适用于美国的背景，限制了将结果推广到其他环境的可能性。
本研究旨在评估当前有关在社交媒体上传播的气候变化和相关环境事件的错误信息的知识状况。具体来说，我们将探讨过去和当前的主题、行为者和来源，以及这种错误信息在加拿大背景下的传播。
本范围综述协议遵循 Arksey 和 O'Malley 制定的方法，并由 Levac 进行了补充，同时结合了 PRISMA-ScR（系统评价和荟萃分析扩展的首选报告项目清单）检查表和制定范围综述协议的最佳实践指南。在确定研究问题后，我们在专业图书馆员的协助下，为选定的书目数据库（MEDLINE、Embase、Web of Science 和 GreenFILE）和灰色文献（Google 和相关数据库）搜索制定了搜索策略。将对书目和灰色文献进行搜索，以确定相关出版物。我们团队的 2 名成员将使用综述软件 Covidence（Veritas Health Innovation）独立选择要纳入综述的出版物。将包括专门针对我们研究问题的、同行评议的、基于证据的、并于 2000 年 1 月 1 日在英文或法文全文版本中发表的出版物。将从纳入的出版物中提取数据，以绘制与我们研究查询相关的当前知识状况，其中包括发布年份、地理区域、主题、行为者和气候变化相关错误信息的来源以及报告的结论。然后，我们团队将综合提取的数据，阐明与我们研究询问相关的当前知识状况。
研究问题于 2024 年 1 月确定。从 2024 年 1 月到 3 月为 MEDLINE、Embase 和 Web of Science 制定了搜索策略，并于 2024 年 7 月为 GreenFILE 和灰色文献制定了搜索策略。于 2024 年 3 月 26 日启动了 MEDLINE、Embase 和 Web of Science 的数据库搜索。通过这些数据库进行的第一轮出版物选择已于 2024 年 4 月完成。
本方案将使我们能够确定社交媒体上有关气候变化和相关环境事件的错误信息的主题、行为者和来源的演变，包括最新平台，并有可能确定加拿大特有的背景。由于错误信息已知会破坏气候变化斗争中的行动和公众支持，我们打算以最新和上下文化的方式促进有针对性地打击与气候变化相关的错误信息的努力。
国际注册报告标识符（IRRID）：DERR1-10.2196/59345。
