Journal of Business and Technical Communication Jan 2021 OA PDF

Is It Fake News or Is It Open Science? Science Communication in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Amy Koerber Texas Tech University

Abstract

This article explores science communication in the context of COVID-19 through a case study of a January 31, 2020, bioRxiv preprint publication that led to conspiracy theories by suggesting that SARS-CoV-2 originated in the laboratory through genetic engineering. Analysis will consider the initial preprint, the scientific critique that led it to be withdrawn, the conspiracy theories that continue to circulate, and the larger debate that this example has sparked among advocates and critics of open science.

Journal
Journal of Business and Technical Communication
Published
2021-01-01
DOI
10.1177/1050651920958506
Open Access
OA PDF Bronze
Topics
qualitative research scientific writing

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (3)

  1. Kenzie et al. (2025)
    Don’t Read the Comments: Discourse About COVID-19 Vaccines in a State Health De…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  2. Lambrecht (2025)
    Risk Revisited: The Role of Technical Communication in Negotiating Barriers to …
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  3. Chen (2025)
    Constructed <i>Ethos</i> and <i>Kairotic</i…
    Technical Communication Quarterly

Cites in this index (0)

No references match articles in this index.

Also cites 6 works outside this index ↓
  1. 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30418-9
     ↗
  2. 10.7208/chicago/9780226099088.001.0001
     ↗
  3. 10.1080/22221751.2020.1738279
     ↗
  4. Kupferschmidt K. (2020, February 28). Preprints bring ‘firehose’of outbreak data. Science, 367(6481). https:/…
     ↗
  5. Pradhan P., Pandey A. K., Mishra A., Gupta P., Tripathi P. K., Menon M. B., Gomes M. J., Vivekanandan P., Kun…
     ↗
  6. Yao X., Ye F., Zhang M., Cui C., Huang B., Niu P., Liu X., Zhao L., Dong E., Song C., Zhan S., Lu R., Li H., …
     ↗
CrossRef global citation count: 27 View in citation network →

Related Articles

  1. Written Communication Jan 2026
    Notions About Drafts in Scientific Research Articles: A Case Study With Writers at Different Levels of Expertise ↗
    Paloma Domínguez Jeria; Mónica S. Cárdenas-Claros; Alejandra Figueroa-Leighton; Teresa Alonzo; Carola Alvarado Barra
    qualitative research scientific writing
  2. Written Communication Jan 2019
    How Do Online News Genres Take Up Knowledge Claims From a Scientific Research Article on Climate Change? ↗
    Nancy Bray
    genre theory qualitative research scientific writing affect and writing
  3. Journal of Business and Technical Communication Apr 2013
    Material and Credentialing Incentives as Symbolic Violence ↗
    Mostafa Hasrati
    graduate education qualitative research scientific writing
  4. Written Communication Oct 2011
    Quantifying the Burden of Writing Research Articles in a Second Language ↗
    David I. Hanauer; Karen Englander
    qualitative research scientific writing
  5. Journal of Business and Technical Communication Apr 2026
    From Monologue to Dialogue: Communication Strategies of Chinese Museums on Weibo and the Imperative for Participation Awareness ↗
    Xiaole Zhu; Yoonjae Nam
    qualitative research social media