"The new Reddit journal of science": public evaluation and understanding of scientific information based on source factors in social media

Abstract

This project explores whether--and if so, how--citizens exposed to scientific information through social media use social media source factors to evaluate the credibility of this information. It also examines whether citizens attach more weight to social media factors or original source factors in making such evaluations. This project will draw on the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) to develop hypotheses. The findings of this project will help explain how viewing scientific information through social media affects public understanding of science and also potentially add to the areas of research to which the ELM can be successfully applied.