Bibliometric Insights Into the Infodemic: Global Research Trends and Policy Responses: Quantitative Research

Abstract

Background: Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the proliferation of misinformation on social media, termed the "infodemic," has complicated global health responses.

Objective: This study aims to identify research trends and information-making in the context of this challenge. This paper synthesizes key areas of scholarly investigation into the COVID-19 infodemic, both within China and internationally, to guide public health strategies and the management of public sentiment.

Methods: By employing a bibliometric approach, using CiteSpace software, we conducted a visual analysis of the global literature, covering a total of 1437 publications from the Web of Science and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure core databases between 2016 and 2025, focusing on publication trends, citation frequencies, and keyword clusters.

Results: After analysis, the results reveal distinct focal points in the research priorities of Chinese and international scholars. International studies often focus on machine learning and public psychology, while Chinese research tends to address information control and safeguarding. Common ground is found in the interest in preventing the spread of misinformation. While literature on COVID-19 abounds, cross-national systematic reviews are limited.

Conclusions: This paper fills this gap through a comparative bibliometric analysis, offering valuable insights for information management, media communication, and public administration, thus charting new directions for future research.

Keywords: bibliometrics; infodemic; information governance; information spreading; social media; visualization.