It’s all too easy to make big claims that circumvent the peer review process. No publication should publish stand-alone summaries, especially those making such bold claims, especially during the pandemic. But the problem is much deeper than that. Even scientific papers that pass the intended safeguards of peer review can become a vehicle for confusion and unsubstantiated claims.

As we have seen many times over the past two years, Covid-19 is not just a viral pandemic, Pandemic of disinformation— The World Health Organization says “infodemic” many the scientist Blame social media for spreading Covid-related falsehoods.

However, social media is more of a symptom than a cause of the problem. Misinformation and disinformation often start with the scientists themselves.

Institutions encourage tenure-seeking scientists to focus on quantity rather than quality of publications and to exaggerate research findings beyond the scope of rigorous analysis. Scientific journals themselves can be profitable if they are read more widely. Therefore, some journals may jump on submissions with juicy titles to entice readers. At the same time, many scientific articles contain more jargon than ever before, fueling misunderstandings, political bias, and a decline in public confidence in the scientific process. Addressing scientific misinformation requires top-down changes to promote accuracy and accessibility, starting with scientists and the scientific publishing process itself.

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