JMIR Infodemiology, a peer-reviewed, premier journal in the field of infodemiology, health information, data science, and misinformation is inviting submissions to a special issue on “Exploring the Intersection Between Health Information, Disinformation, and Generative AI Technologies.”
We welcome submissions from different disciplines of health communication, public health, informatics, data science, social and computational science, and engineering to explore the potential impact of large language models (LLMs) on health-related topics. JMIR Infodemiology is currently indexed in PubMed Central, PubMed, Scopus, DOAJ, and CABI.
Specific topics of interest for this special issue include:
Infodemics, Misinformation, and Disinformation in the Context of LLMs and Emerging AI Technologies
The proliferation of health-related misinformation and disinformation presents significant challenges to public health and well-being in this era of rapid technological advancement. Research areas we are interested include:
Identification and classification of AI-generated false information regarding health, when created, assisted, or evaluated by LLMs
Use of LLMs and related technologies to minimize the impact of health-related misinformation and disinformation
Ethical implications for infodemic management using LLMs and other emerging AI technologies.
Advancing Research Methods on LLMs and Emerging AI Technologies
We encourage submissions that advance interdisciplinary methodologies examining the potential impact of LLMs and emerging AI. Other topics may include:
Digital mixed methods studies that combine qualitative, quantitative, social listening, and other methods with the use of LLMs for public health topics
Review or evaluation studies that assess the relative utility or potential performance of LLMs compared to other data science approaches for public health topics.
The Role of Public Health and Medical Professionals in Utilizing Generative AI
Public health and health care professionals play an important role in shaping the health information ecosystem. We are particularly interested in submissions that discuss the involvement of public health and medical practitioners in using LLMs to address misinformation. Potential themes to explore include:
Examining the ways public health and medical professionals can use LLMs and other emerging AI to address misinformation in their respective practices and communities
Strategies to collaborate directly with communities to use LLMs and emerging AI technologies to reduce the spread of misinformation
Examining the extent of trust in the health information provided by LLMs within the public health and medical community and the general public.
Examining the use of LLMs Through the Lens of Health Equity
The rollout of new technological tools such as LLMs has the potential to make health information more accessible, but it may also result in unintended consequences, including exacerbating health disparities. Research along these lines of inquiry could include:
Impact of using LLMs and other emerging AI for topics including data bias, addressing social determinants of health, enhancing inclusivity, or other health equity topics, particularly for vulnerable communities (racial and ethnic minorities, members of LGBTQ+, and indigenous communities)
Understanding how vulnerable communities and individuals from low- or middle-income countries (LMIC) use LLMs for seeking their own health information
Evaluating how the use of LLMs may close or widen health disparities
Evaluating the effects of LLMs on plain-language information and information understandability, as well as health literacy for different population and language groups.
Submission Guidelines:
All submissions will undergo a rigorous peer-review process, and accepted articles will be published as part of a special issue on the “Exploring the Intersection Between Health Information, Disinformation, and Generative AI Technologies”.
Submission Deadline: December 31st, 2024
Submissions not reviewed or accepted for publication in this JMIR Infodemiology theme issue may be offered cascading peer review or transfer to other JMIR Publications journals, according to standard publisher policies.
Early-stage formative work that informs the design of future interventions or research may better fit the scope for JMIR Formative Research. Authors are encouraged to submit study protocols or grant proposals to JMIR Research Protocols before data acquisition to preregister the study (Registered Reports—subsequent acceptance in one of the JMIR Publications journals is then guaranteed).
All articles submitted to this theme issue will be shared and published rapidly through the following mechanisms:
All peer-reviewed articles in this theme issue will be immediately and permanently made open access. This is the standard for all titles within the JMIR Publications portfolio.
Articles can be made immediately available in JMIR Preprints (with a DOI) after submission if authors select the preprint option at submission to enable this service.