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In January 2020, the [[BBC]] reported on the developing issue of conspiracy theories and bad health advice regarding COVID-19. Examples at the time included false health advice shared on social media and private chats, as well as conspiracy theories such as the outbreak being planned with the participation of the [[Pirbright Institute]].<ref name="bbc_misinfo">{{cite news |date=30 January 2020 |title=China coronavirus: Misinformation spreads online about origin and scale |work=[[BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-51271037 |url-status=live |access-date=10 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200204163412/https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-51271037 |archive-date=4 February 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |vauthors=Shmerling RH |title=Be careful where you get your news about coronavirus |url=https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/be-careful-where-you-get-your-news-about-coronavirus-2020020118801 |website=Harvard Health Blog |access-date=25 March 2020 |date=1 February 2020 |archive-date=2 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200302084557/https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/be-careful-where-you-get-your-news-about-coronavirus-2020020118801 |url-status=live }}</ref> In January, ''[[The Guardian]]'' listed seven instances of misinformation, adding the conspiracy theories about bioweapons and the link to [[5G]] technology, and including varied false health advice.<ref name=GUAR>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/31/bat-soup-dodgy-cures-and-diseasology-the-spread-of-coronavirus-bunkum |title=Bat soup, dodgy cures and 'diseasology': the spread of coronavirus misinformation |date=31 January 2020 |access-date=3 February 2020 |vauthors=Taylor J |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200202141231/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/31/bat-soup-dodgy-cures-and-diseasology-the-spread-of-coronavirus-bunkum |archive-date=2 February 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref>
In an attempt to speed up research sharing, many researchers have turned to [[preprint]] servers such as [[arXiv]], [[bioRxiv]], [[medRxiv]], and [[SSRN]]. Papers are uploaded to these servers without [[peer review]] or any other editorial process that ensures research quality. Some of these papers have contributed to the spread of conspiracy theories
According to a study published by the [[Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism]], most misinformation related to COVID-19 involves "various forms of reconfiguration, where existing and often true information is spun, twisted, recontextualised, or reworked"; less misinformation "was completely fabricated". The study also found that "top-down misinformation from politicians, celebrities, and other prominent public figures", while accounting for a minority of the samples, captured a majority of the social media engagement. According to their classification, the largest category of misinformation (39%) was "misleading or false claims about the actions or policies of public authorities, including government and international bodies like the WHO or the UN".<ref name="reuters-institute">{{cite web |vauthors=Brennen JS, Simon F, Howard PN, Nielsen RK |url=https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/types-sources-and-claims-covid-19-misinformation |title=Types, sources, and claims of COVID-19 misinformation |agency=Reuters Institute |date=7 April 2020 |access-date=21 April 2020 |archive-date=7 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210307091832/https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/types-sources-and-claims-covid-19-misinformation |url-status=live }}</ref>
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