Factors Associated With Information Credibility Perceptions: A Meta-Analysis

2024/02/05 by Mengxue Ou, Shirley S. Ho · 1 voice · 22 citations
Computer Science · Medicine · Psychology · Social Sciences · #Advertising #Business #Credibility #Journalism #Library Science and Administration #Medicine #Meta-analysis #Misinformation and Its Impacts #Perception #Political science #Psychology #Social psychology #Source credibility #Spam and Phishing Detection

paper · open access · doi:10.1177/10776990231222556

published in Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly 101(2), 346-372 (SAGE Publishing)

openalex publication_date 2024/02/05 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/14

Abstract

Research on factors influencing information credibility judgment is increasing, whereas their findings are mixed. This study conducted a meta-analysis of 85 empirical studies, synthesizing the effects of 12 frequently examined source, content, channel, and receiver factors on information credibility perception. Results reveal that message quality, source credibility, and message fluency have large correlations with credibility perception, while other factors show small-to-medium correlations. Personal topic knowledge does not have a significant relationship with credibility perception. Gender composition, information channel, topic, and research method significantly moderate the aggregated relationships. The theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Citations

• The file drawer problem and tolerance for null results.
• Trim and Fill: A Simple Funnel‐Plot–Based Method of Testing and Adjusting for Publication Bias in Meta‐Analysis
• Education-Based Gap in Misinformation Acceptance: Does the Gap Increase as Misinformation Exposure Increases?

Cited by

• Authors’ academic but not personal expertise or gender affect message credibility in science communication
• Epistemic authority in the digital public sphere. An integrative conceptual framework and research agenda
• Credibility as a Double-Edged Sword: The Effects of Deceptive Source Misattribution on Disinformation Discernment on Personal Messaging
• Beyond Credibility: The Effects of Different Forms of Visual Disinformation
• Large Language Model-Informed Feature Discovery Improves Prediction and Interpretation of Credibility Perceptions of Visual Content

Discussions

• People perceive information as more credible based on message quality, source credibility, and message fluency, with personal topic knowledge not playing a significant role, illuminating mechanisms of [bsky, 15 points, 0 comments]

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