How to debunk health-related misinformation? An experimental online study of text structures and headline formats

The spread of misinformation hinders prominent societal issues such as pandemics and climate change to be tackled. Texts following a “truth sandwich” format have been suggested to debunk misinformation, but their effects are yet to be comprehensively tested. To evaluate the impact of text structure and headline format on the text’s ability to debunk misinformation, its credibility and perceived social impact and to explore underlying mechanisms via evaluation of the presented information and trust in science. A representative sample of 4904 participants will be recruited via the PsychLab platform. Experimental online study with a 2 structure (truth sandwich/ bottom-heavy text) x 2 headline (question/ statement) x 2 topic (genetically modified crop plants/ vaccination) between-subjects design. Primary outcome is the agreement with six statements containing misinformation, of which two were addressed by the experimental manipulation; secondary outcomes are the evaluation of the presented information and its perceived social impact. unknown other