Conspiracy theory research database
Produced by Professor Karen Douglas and her research team from The University of Kent, this is a database of the current academic literature on conspiracy theories, and literature on other closely-related topics. Production was supported by the Centre for Research and Evidence on Security Threats (ESRC Award: ES/N009614/1).
Selected Articles
Databases
- EBSCO DatabasesAccess to all of the EBSCO databases which the library subscribes to, including our most heavily-used database, Academic Search Complete. Browse a list of all EBSCO databases or use the link above to search them all at the same time. You can also connect to EBSCO then click on "Choose Databases" to link to specific EBSCO databases.
- Communication & Mass Media CompleteIndexing, abstracts and full text for journals in communication studies, covering topics such as journalism, mass media, and communicative disorders.
- Google ScholarA Google search engine that searches only for scholarly literature, including journal articles, books, preprints, etc., on publisher and academic websites.
Your Librarian
Identifying Conspiracy Theories
Starting Points
- Bridging the Great Divide: Conspiracy Theory Research for the 21st CenturyProvides an interdisciplinary review of conspiracy research
- Understanding Conpiracy TheoriesProvides definitions of terms and explores 3 questions: What factors are associated with conspiracy beliefs? How are conspiracy theories communicated? What are the societal risks and rewards associated with conspiracy theories?
Possible Search terms
Conspiracies
- Conspirac*
- Searches for conspiracy or conspiracies
- Specific keywords relating to conspiracies (Deep State, Pizzagate, Zika, QAnon, Vaccine)
- Misinformation
- Public perceptions
- Paranoia
Source type
- Online communication
- Name of tool/publication/channel (YouTube, Facebook, Franchi)