Why do experts disagree? The development of a taxonomy

Area of Science:

• Science Communication
• Health Information Literacy
• Decision-Making

Background:

• Individuals face increasing exposure to conflicting health information, complicating decision-making.
• Consumers often attribute disagreements to credibility rather than research complexity or uncertainty.
• Expert perspectives on the causes of health information disagreement are under-researched.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and classify the diverse reasons behind conflicting health information.
• To develop a comprehensive taxonomy of disagreements in health information.
• To enhance strategies for managing conflicting information and improve science communication.

Main Methods:

• Conducted a literature review to explore existing knowledge on information disagreement.
• Performed expert interviews to gather in-depth insights into causes of disagreement.
• Developed a taxonomy classifying disagreement types based on informant, information, and uncertainty.

Main Results:

• A novel taxonomy of disagreements was developed, identifying 10 distinct types.
• Disagreements were classified under three primary dimensions: informant-related, information-related, and uncertainty-related causes.
• The findings highlight a gap in understanding the full spectrum of reasons for conflicting health information.

Conclusions:

• The developed taxonomy provides a structured framework for understanding health information disagreements.
• This classification can aid in adopting more effective strategies for dealing with conflicting information.
• The research contributes to the fields of science communication and health information management.