Debunking Handbook 2020

The Debunking Handbook 2020 outlines the psychological mechanisms that make misinformation 'sticky,' such as the continued influence effect and the illusory truth effect. It advocates for 'prebunking' through inoculation and provides a structured four-part framework for effective debunking: leading with facts, mentioning the myth once, explaining the fallacy, and reinforcing the fact. The guide also addresses the rarity of 'backfire effects' and emphasizes the importance of source credibility and the use of causal alternatives to replace false information.

• The "illusory truth effect" describes how repeated exposure to information increases its perceived truthfulness, regardless of the source's reliability or the information's consistency with a person's ideology.
• Inoculation, or "prebunking," can build resilience against misinformation by exposing people to a weakened dose of misleading argumentation techniques and preemptively refuting them.
• Concerns regarding "backfire effects"—where corrections strengthen misconceptions—are largely overstated, as recent research indicates they occur only occasionally and are not a robust empirical phenomenon.
• Effective debunking should follow a specific structure: lead with a clear and pithy fact, mention the myth only once, provide a detailed explanation of the fallacy (including why it was believed and why it is wrong), and conclude by reinforcing the fact.
• To successfully 'unstick' misinformation, debunkers should provide a factual alternative that fills the causal gap left by the removed misinformation, ensuring the alternative is not more complex than the original myth.
• Source credibility is critical for persuasion, with perceived trustworthiness often being more important than perceived expertise when correcting misinformation.

APA

Lewandowsky, S., Cook, J., Ecker, U., Albarracín, D., Amazeen, M. A., Kendeou, P., Lombardi, D., Newman, E. J., Pennycook, G., Porter, E., Rand, D. G., Rapp, D. N., Reifler, J., Roozenbeek, J., Schmid, P., Seifert, C. M., Sinatra, G. M., Swire-Thompson, B., van der Linden, S., ... Zaragoza, M. S. (2020). Debunking Handbook 2020. Center for Climate Change Communication. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/DebunkingHandbook2020.pdf

Chicago

Lewandowsky, Stephan, John Cook, Ullrich Ecker, Dolores Albarracín, Michelle A. Amazeen, Panayiota Kendeou, Doug Lombardi, et al. Debunking Handbook 2020. Center for Climate Change Communication, 2020. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/DebunkingHandbook2020.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Lewandowsky |first1=Stephan |last2=Cook |first2=John |last3=Ecker |first3=Ullrich |last4=Albarracín |first4=Dolores |last5=Amazeen |first5=Michelle A. |last6=Kendeou |first6=Panayiota |last7=Lombardi |first7=Doug |last8=Newman |first8=Eryn J. |last9=Pennycook |first9=Gordon |display-authors=etal |title=Debunking Handbook 2020 |publisher=Center for Climate Change Communication |date=2020 |url=https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/DebunkingHandbook2020.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{lewandowsky2020debunking, author = {Lewandowsky, Stephan and Cook, John and Ecker, Ullrich and Albarracín, Dolores and Amazeen, Michelle A. and Kendeou, Panayiota and Lombardi, Doug and Newman, Eryn J. and Pennycook, Gordon and Porter, Ethan and Rand, David G. and Rapp, David N. and Reifler, Jason and Roozenbeek, Jon and Schmid, Philipp and Seifert, Colleen M. and Sinatra, Gale M. and Swire-Thompson, Briony and van der Linden, Sander and Vraga, Emily K. and Wood, Thomas J. and Zaragoza, Maria S.}, title = {{Debunking Handbook 2020}}, institution = {Center for Climate Change Communication}, year = {2020}, url = {https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/DebunkingHandbook2020.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }