Special Collections Call for Papers

Social Behavior and Personality: an international journal

 

Special Collection
Call for Papers

Psychology of Fake News

Submission Deadline: July 31, 2023

Social Behavior and Personality: an international journal is inviting submissions for a Special Collection on the topic “Psychology of Fake News.” The papers will be published in special sections of our regular issues throughout 2023 and will then be compiled in a dedicated special collection in early 2024.

Guest Editor: Ana Stojanov, PhD, Higher Education Development Centre, University of Otago (Google Scholar Profile)

Special Topic Scope

Social media technologies offer easy access to increasing volumes of information. However, instant access to information does not necessarily guarantee its veracity, value, and authenticity. The last decade has witnessed the rise of post-truth  politics, a proliferation of conspiracy theories, and an infodemic amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

While political propaganda is not a new phenomenon, post-truth politics—characterized by political debates that give primacy to emotions over facts—take places in a uniquely modern, interconnected, “echo chamber” context, affording opportunities for political radicalization. This problem is exacerbated by the propagation of misinformation (incorrect information given without the intention to deceive) and disinformation (false information intended to mislead). One common form of mis/disinformation is conspiracy theories, that is, claims about powerful entities withholding or manipulating the truth.

The dissemination of fake news, an umbrella term for misleading or false information, is outpacing researchers’ understanding of the psychology of mis/disinformation. Simultaneously, society is becoming increasingly aware of the negative consequences of belief in false information, such as resistance to adherence to the preventive measures against COVID-19.

For this special topic, we welcome theoretical or review papers, or empirical submissions that expand the psychology of fake news.

Papers could address questions such as the following:

  • What are the personality correlates of belief in conspiracy theories?
  • What is the profile of a conspiracy theorist?
  • What are the cross-cultural differences in conspiracy beliefs?
  • Under what conditions are people more likely to believe fake news?
  • What are the individual and collective costs of belief in conspiracy theories and fake news?
  • Are there benefits of believing conspiracy theories and fake news?
  • How is misinformation spread online?
  • How can belief in misinformation be reduced or minimized?
  • Who propagates disinformation? What are their motives?
  • Why is some mis/disinformation more likely to gain popularity than others?
  • How can we measure belief in conspiracy theories, fake news, or misinformation?
  • How do sociocultural factors impact fake news endorsement and conspiracy beliefs?

Submission Process

The usual submission requirements, including publication fees, apply. Read more at https://www.sbp-journal.com/index.php/sbp/about/submissions/#authorGuidelines. Please indicate in your cover letter that you would like your paper to be considered for the special issue.

If you have questions about the suitability of a paper, please email the special collection guest editor, Ana Stojanov, at [email protected]

As soon as received, the papers will undergo a peer-review and editorial assessment. If accepted, they will be published without delay in special sections of our regular issues and simultaneously compiled in a special collection, to be released in early 2024. The special topic papers will be published open access under a CC-BY-NC-ND license.

Why Publish in this Special Collection?

Published papers will have increased visibility and readership with the open access license. They will also be given additional promotion by SBP Journal. In the past, SBP special issue papers have received a boost in engagement (i.e., Altmetric) and approximately double the citations of regular articles after two years.

A “Best Paper” award will be given once the Special Collection is released, which will be publicly announced and provide a significant APC discount for the submitting author’s next publication with SBP Journal.

About the Journal

Social Behavior and Personality: an international journal (SBP Journal), founded in 1973, publishes papers on all aspects of social, personality, and development psychology. The journal is indexed in the SSCI with a current impact factor of 1.183 and has a CiteScore of 1.8.

Whether you are in the early or late stages of your career, you are invited to take this great opportunity to publish your research in a peer-reviewed, international journal.

 
 

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