current as of June 2026
Dr. Emily K. Vraga
Professor
Don and Carole Larson Professor in Health Communication
ekvraga@umn.edu
Book
Bode, L., & Vraga, E. K. (2025). Observed Correction: How We Can All Respond to Misinformation on Social Media. Oxford University Press.
[link]
Journal Articles
Tang, R., Bode, L., & Vraga, E. K. (2026). Corrections as Risk Communication and Community Engagement on Social Media: How Observing Corrections of Misinformation from the WHO Increases Support for the WHO. Health communication, 41(3), 485-495.
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Vraga, E. K., & Bode, L. (2026). I Don’t Remember: Measuring the Frequency and Impact of Source Recall in Misinformation Correction. Newhouse Impact Journal, 3(1), 8.
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Vraga, E. K. (2025). Understanding the strengths and limitations of community-based responses to misinformation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 122(48), e2524004122.
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Tang, R., Fang, Y., Sun, J., Bode, L., & Vraga, E. K. (2025). Automating Accuracy: Scalable Approaches to Correcting Disinformation With Artificial Intelligence on Social Media. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 102(4), 1044-1070.
[link]
Tang, R., Burston, B., Sun, J., Vraga, E. K., & Bode, L. (2025). Generative AI and Disinformation| Parental Perceptions of Dynamic Exchanges of Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Misinformation and Corrections From AI Checkers on Reddit. International Journal of Communication, 19, 24-24.
[link]
Tang, R., Burnley, B., Bode, L., & Vraga, E. K. (2025). Corrective democracy? The relationship between correction of misinformation on social media and connective democratic norms. Social Media+ Society, 11(2), 20563051251335086.
[link]
Vraga, E. K., & Bode, L. (2025). Correcting what’s true: testing competing claims about health misinformation on social media. American Behavioral Scientist, 69(2), 187-205.
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Tang, R., Tully, M., Bode, L., & Vraga, E. K. (2025). Effects of a news literacy video on news literacy perceptions and misinformation evaluation. Media and Communication, 13.
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Tang, R., Fang, Y., & Vraga, E. K. (2025). Strategic subjectivity shapes user engagement: a case study on health journalists’ COVID-19 tweets. Journalism Practice, 1-19.
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Tang, R., Burston, B., Sun, J., Vraga, E. K., & Bode, L. (2025). Parental Perceptions of Dynamic Exchanges of Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Misinformation and Corrections From AI Checkers on Reddit. International Journal of Communication (19328036), 19.
[link]
Armstrong, S., Neal, C., Tang, R., Rim, H., & Vraga, E. K. (2024). Bot Versus Humans: Who Can Challenge Corporate Hypocrisy on Social Media?. Social Media+ Society, 10(4), 20563051241292578.
[link]
Bélair-Gagnon, V., Searles, K., Vraga, E., Holton, A. E., & Tandoc Jr, E. C. (2024). Attacks on journalism as an occupational hazard. International Journal of Communication, 18, 20-20.
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Maksl, A., Boedeker, P. J., Vraga, E. K., Craft, S., Tully, M., & Ashley, S. (2024). Developing and validating a 15-item true/false measure of news literacy knowledge. Communication Research, 00936502241284406.
[link]
Tang, R., Vraga, E. K., Bode, L., & Boulianne, S. (2024). Who reports witnessing and performing corrections on social media in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and France?. Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review, 5(3).
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Bode, L., Vraga, E. K., & Tang, R. (2024). User correction. Current Opinion in Psychology, 56, 101786.
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Vraga, E. K., & Edgerly, S. (2023). Relevance as a Mechanism in Evaluating News-Ness among American Teens and Adults. Digital Journalism, 1–21.
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Vraga, E. K., Brady, S. S., Gansen, C., Khan, E. M., Bennis, S. L., Nones, M., Tang, R., Srivastava, J., & Kulasingam, S. (2023). A review of HPV and HBV vaccine hesitancy, intention, and uptake in the era of social media and COVID-19. eLife, 12, e85743.
[link]
Ashley, S., Craft, S., Maksl, A., & Vraga, E. (2023). News literacy can mitigate belief in political conspiracy theories and conspiratorial thinking. Mass Communication and Society, 26, 695-719.
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Vraga, E., & Bode, L. (2022). Correcting what’s true: Testing competing claims about health misinformation on social media. American Behavioral Scientist. 00027642221118252.
[link]
Vraga, E. K., Bode, L., & Tully, M. (2022). The effects of a news literacy video and real-time corrections to video misinformation related to sunscreen and skin cancer. Health Communication, 37(13), 1622-1630.
[link]
Vraga, E., Tully, M., & Bode, L. (2022). Assessing the relative merits of news literacy and corrections in responding to misinformation on Twitter. New Media and Society, 24(10), 2354–2371.
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Cook, J. (Lead Author), Ecker, U. K. H., Tracek-King, M., Schade, G., Jeffers-Tracy, K., Fessmann, J., . . . McDowell, J. (2022). The cranky uncle game—combining humor and gamification to build student resilience against climate misinformation. Environmental Education Research.
[link]
Ecker, U. K. H. (Lead Author), Lewandowsky, S., Cook, J., Schmid, P., Fazio, L. K., Brashier, N., . . . Amazeen, M. A. (2022). The Psychological Drivers of Misinformation Belief and its Resistance to Correction. Nature Reviews Psychology, 1, 13-29.
[link]
Jones, G. (Lead Author), Vraga, E. K., Hessburg, P. F., Hurteau, M. D., Allen, C. D., Keane, R. E., . . . Westerling, A. L. (2022). Counteracting Wildfire Misinformation. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 20(7), 392-393.
[link]
Tully, M., Maksl, A., Ashley, S., Vraga, E., & Craft, S. (2022). Defining and measuring news literacy. Journalism, 23(8), 1589–1606
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Vraga, E. K., & Bode, L. (2021). Addressing COVID-19 Misinformation Pre-Emptively and Responsively on Social Media. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 27, 2, 396-403.
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Vraga, E. K., & Tully, M. (2021). News literacy, social media behaviors, and skepticism towards information on social media. Information, Communication, and Society, 24, 150-166.
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Vraga, E. K., Tully, M., & Bode, L. (2021). Assessing the Relative Merits of News Literacy and Corrections in Responding to Misinformation on Twitter. New Media & Society, 24(10), 2354-2371.
[link]
Vraga, E. K., Tully, M., Maksl, A., Craft, S., & Ashley, S. (2021). Theorizing news literacy behaviors. Communication Theory, 31, 1-21
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Bode, L., Vraga, E. K., & Tully, M. (2021). Correcting misperceptions about genetically modified foods on social media: The impact of experts, users, and social media heuristics. Science Communication, 43(2), 225-251.
[link]
Bode, L., & Vraga, E. K. (2021). Correction experiences on social media during COVID. Social Media & Society, 7(2).
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Bode, L., & Vraga, E. (2021). Value for correction: Documenting perceptions about peer correction of misinformation on social media. Journal of Quantitative Description.
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Guidry, J.P.D., Laestadius, L.I., Vraga, E. K., Miller, C.A., Perrin, P.B., Burton, C.W., Ryan, M., Fuemmeler, B.F., Carlyle, K.E. (2021). Willingness to get the COVID-19 vaccine with and without emergency use authorization. American Journal of Infection Control, 49, 2 P137-142.
[link]
Guidry, J. P. D., Perrin, P. B., Laestadius, L. I., Vraga, E. K., Miller, C. A., Fuemmeler, B. F., Burton, C. W., Ryan, M., & Carlyle, K. E. (2021). U.S. Public Support for COVID-19 Vaccine Donation to Low- and Middle-Income Countries during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Vaccine, 39, 17, 2452-2457.
[link]
Tully, M., Maksl, A., Ashley, S., Vraga, E. K., & Craft, S. (2021). Defining and measuring news literacy. Journalism, 23, 1589-1606
[link]
Vraga, E. K., & Bode, L. (2020). Defining Misinformation and Understanding its Bounded Nature: Using Expertise and Evidence for Describing Misinformation. Political Communication, 37, 136-144.
[link] [PDF of accepted manuscript version]
Vraga, E. K., & Bode, L. (2020). Correction as a solution for health misinformation on social media. American Journal of Public Health, 110 (S3), S278-280.
[link]
Vraga, E. K., Bode, L., & Tully, M. (2020). Creating news literacy messages to enhance expert corrections of misinformation on Twitter. Communication Research, 49(2), 245-267.
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Vraga, E. K., & Jacobsen, K. H. (2020). Strategies for effective health communication during the coronavirus pandemic and future emerging infectious disease events. World Health and Medical Policy, 12(3), 233-241.
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Vraga, E. K., Kim, S. C., Cook, J., & Bode, L. (2020). Testing the effectiveness of correction placement and type on Instagram. International Journal of Press/Politics, 25, 632-652.
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Vraga, E. K., & Tully, M. (2020). Who is exposed to news? It depends on how you measure: Examining self-reported versus behavioral news exposure measures. Social Science Computer Review, 38, 550-566.
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Vraga, E. K., Tully, M., & Bode, L. (2020). Empowering users to respond to misinformation about COVID-19. Media and Communication, 8, 475-479.
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Bode, L., Vraga, E. K., & Tully, M. (2020). Do the right thing: Tone may not affect correction of misinformation on social media. The Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) Misinformation Review.
[link]
Chou, W. S., Trivedi, N., Peterson, E., Gaysynsky, A., Krakow, M., & Vraga, E. K. (2020). How do social media users process cancer prevention messages on Facebook? An eye tracking study. Patient Education and Counseling, 103, 1161-1167.
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Edgerly, S., & Vraga, E. K. (2020). That’s not news: Audience perceptions of news-ness and why it matters. Mass Communication and Society, 5, 730-754.
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Edgerly, S., & Vraga, E. K. (2020). Deciding what’s news: News-ness as a concept for the hybrid media environment. Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, 97, 416-434.
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Guidry, J., Coman, I., Vraga, E. K., O’Donnell, N. H., & Sreepada, N. (2020). (S)pin the flu vaccine: Recipes for concern. Vaccine, 38, 5498-5506.
[link]
Guidry, J., Vraga, E. K., Miller, C. A., Laestadius, L. I., Occa, A., Nan, X., Ming, H., Qin, Y., Fuemmeler, B. F., & Carlyle, K. E. (2020). HPV vaccine on Pinterest: Before and after Pinterest’s actions to moderate content. American Journal of Public Health, 110 (S3), S305-S311.
[link]
Jacobsen, K. H., & Vraga, E. K. (2020). Improving communication about COVID-19 and other emerging infectious diseases. European Journal of Clinical Investigation, 50(5), e13225.
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Singh, L., Bode, L., Budak, C., Kawintiranon, K., Padden, C., & Vraga, E. (2020). Understanding high and low quality URL sharing on COVID-19 Twitter streams. Journal of Computational Social Science, 3, 343-366.
[link]
Kim, S. C., Vraga, E. K., & Cook, J. (2020). An eye tracking approach to understanding misinformation and correction strategies on social media: The mediating role of attention and credibility to reduce HPV vaccine misperceptions. Health Communication, online first.
[link]
Tully, M., Bode, L., & Vraga, E. K. (2020). Mobilizing users: Does exposure to misinformation and its correction affect users’ responses to a health misinformation post? Social Media and Society, 6(4).
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Tully, M., Vraga, E. K., & Bode, L. (2020). Designing and testing news literacy interventions for social media. Mass Communication and Society, 23, 22-46.
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Tully, M., Vraga, E. K., & Smithson, A. (2020). News media literacy, perceptions of bias, and interpretations of news. Journalism, 21, 209-226.
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Vraga, E. K. (2019). What can I do? How to use social media to improve democratic society. Political Communication, 36, 319-323
[link] [PDF of accepted author version]
Vraga, E. K., Bode, L., Smithson, A., & Troller-Renfree, S. (2019). Accidentally attentive: Comparing visual, close-ended, and open-ended measures of attention on social media. Computers in Human Behavior, 99, 235-244.
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Vraga, E. K., Kim, S. C., & Cook, J. (2019). Testing logic-based and humor-based corrections for health, science, and political misinformation on social media. Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, 63, 393-414.
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Vraga, E. K., & Tully, M. (2019). Engaging with the other side: Using news media literacy messages to reduce selective exposure and avoidance. Journal of Information Technology and Politics, 1, 77-86.
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Edgerly, S., & Vraga, E. K. (2019). The blue check of credibility: Does account verification matter when evaluating news on Twitter? Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 22, 283-287.
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Edgerly, S., & Vraga, E. K. (2019). News, entertainment, or both? Exploring audience perceptions of media genre in a hybrid media environment. Journalism, 20, 807-826.
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Vraga, E. K., & Bode, L. (2018). I do not believe you: How providing a source corrects health misperceptions across social media platforms. Information, Communication, and Society, 10, 1337-1353.
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Vraga, E. K., Myers, T. M., Kotcher, J., Beall, L., & Maibach, E. (2018). Scientific risk communication about controversial issues influences public perceptions of scientists’ political orientations and credibility. Royal Society Open Science, 5,
2, DOI: 10.1098/rsos.170505.
[link]
Vraga, E. K., Stefanidis, A., Lamprianidis, G., Croitoru, A., Crooks, A., Delamater, P., Pfoser, D., Radzikowski, J., & Jacobsen, K. H. (2018). Cancer and social media: A comparison of traffic about breast cancer, prostate cancer, and other reproductive cancers on Twitter and Instagram. Journal of Health Communication, 23, 181-189.
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Bode, L., & Vraga, E. K. (2018). See something, say something: Correction of global health misinformation on social media. Health Communication, 33, 1131-1140.
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Bode, L., & Vraga, E. K. (2018). Studying politics across media. Political Communication, 35, 1-7.
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Edgerly, S., Thorson, K., Thorson, E., Vraga, E. K., & Bode, L. (2018). Do parents still model news consumption? Socializing news use among adolescents in a multi-device world. New Media and Society, 20, 1263-1281.
[link]
Edgerly, S., Vraga, E. K., Bode, L., Thorson, K., & Thorson, E. (2018). New media, new relationships to participation? A closer look at youth news repertoires and political participation. Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, 95, 192-212.
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Stenhouse, N., Myers, T., Vraga, E. K., Kotcher, J. E., Beall, L. & Maibach, E. W. (2018).The potential role of actively open-minded thinking in preventing motivated reasoning about controversial science. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 57, 17-24.
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Tully, M., & Vraga, E. K. (2018). Who experiences growth in news media literacy and why does it matter? Examining education, individual differences, and democratic outcomes. Journalism and Mass Communication Educator, 73, 167-181.
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Tully, M., & Vraga, E. K. (2018). A mixed methods approach to examining the relationship between news media literacy and political efficacy. International Journal of Communication, 12, 766-787.
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Vraga, E. K. (2017). Which candidates can be mavericks? The effects of issue disagreement and gender on candidate evaluations. Politics & Policy, 45, 4-30.
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Vraga, E. K., & Bode, L. (2017). Leveraging institutions, educators, and networks to correct misinformation: A commentary on Lewandowsky, Ecker, and Cook. Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 6, 382-388.
[link]
Vraga, E. K., & Bode, L. (2017). Using Expert Sources to Correct Health Misinformation in Social Media. Science Communication, 39, 621-645.
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Vraga, E. K., Radzikowski, J., Stefanidis, A., Croitoru, A., Delamater, P., Pfoser, D., & Jacobsen, K. H. (2017). Social media engagement with cancer awareness campaigns declined during the 2016 U.S. presidential election. World Medical and Health Policy, 9, 456-465.
[link]
Beall, L., Myers, T. A., Kotcher, J. E., Vraga, E. K., & Maibach, E. W. (2017). Controversy matters: Impacts on perceived credibility of a scientist who advocates. PLoS One, 12(11), e0187511. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0187511.
[link]
Bode, L., Vraga, E. K., & Troller-Renfree, S. (2017). Skipping politics: Measuring avoidance of political content in social media. Research & Politics, 4(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/2053168017702990
[link]
Kotcher, J., Myers, T., Vraga, E. K., Stenhouse, N., & Maibach, E. (2017). Does engagement in advocacy hurt the credibility of scientists? Results from a randomized national survey experiment. Environmental Communication, 11, 415-429.
[link]
Stefanidis, A., Vraga, E., Lamprianidis, G., Radzikowski, J., Delamater, P. L., Jacobsen, K. H., Pfoser, D., Croitoru, A., & Crooks, A. T. (2017). Health narratives in Twitter: Structure and characteristics under the lens of a Zika case study. Journal of the Medical Internet Research: Public Health and Surveillance, 3(2): e22.
[link]
Tully, M., & Vraga, E. K. (2017). Effectiveness of a news media literacy advertisement in partisan versus nonpartisan online media contexts. Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, 61, 144-162.
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Vraga, E. K. (2016). Party differences in political content on social media. Online Information Review, 40, 595-609.
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Vraga, E. K., Bode, L., Smithson, A., & Troller-Renfree, S. (2016). Blurred lines: Defining social, news, and political posts on Facebook. Journal of Information Technology and Politics, 13, 272-294.
[link]
Vraga, E. K., Bode, L., & Troller-Renfree, S. (2016). Beyond self-reports: Using eye tracking to measure topic and style differences in attention to social media content. Communication Methods and Measures, 10, 2-3, 149-164.
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Vraga, E. K., & Tully, M. (2016). Effective messaging to communicate news media literacy concepts to diverse publics. Communication and the Public, 1, 3, 305-322.
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Vraga, E. K., & Tully, M. (2016). Effectiveness of a Non-classroom Media Literacy Intervention Among Different Undergraduate Populations. Journalism and Mass Communication Educator, 71, 4, 440-452.
[link] [Supplemental_Appendix]
Edgerly, S., Gotlieb, M. R., & Vraga, E. K. (2016). “That show really spoke to me!” The effects of compatible psychological needs and talk show host style on audience activity. International Journal of Communication, 10, 1950-1970.
[link]
Vraga, E. K. (2015). How Party Affiliation Conditions the Experience of Dissonance and Explains Polarization and Selective Exposure. Social Science Quarterly, 96, 487-502.
[link] [supplemental appendix]
Vraga, E. K., Anderson, A. A., Kotcher, J. E., & Maibach, E. W. (2015). Issue-Specific Engagement: How Facebook Contributes to Opinion Leadership and Efficacy on Energy and Climate Issues. Journal of Information Technology and Politics, 12, 200-218.
[link]
Vraga, E. K., Thorson, K., Kligler-Vilenchik, N., & Gee, E. (2015). How individual sensitivities to disagreement shape youth political expression on Facebook. Computers in Human Behavior, 45, 281-289.
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Vraga, E. K., & Tully, M. (2015). Media literacy messages and hostile media perceptions: Processing of nonpartisan versus partisan political information. Mass Communication and Society, 14, 422-448
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Vraga, E. K., Tully, M., Kotcher, J. E., Smithson, A., & Broeckelman-Post, M. (2015). A multi-dimensional approach to measuring news media literacy. The Journal of Media Literacy Education, 7, 3, 41-53.
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Bode, L., & Vraga, E. K. (2015). In Related News, That Was Wrong: The Correction of Misinformation Through Related Stories Functionality in Social Media. Journal of Communication, 65, 619-638.
Vraga, E. K., Johnson, C., Carr, D. J., Bode, L., & Bard, M. (2014). Filmed in front of a live studio audience: Laughter and aggression in political entertainment programming. Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, 58, 131-150.
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Vraga, E. K., Bode, L., Yang, J., Edgerly, S., Thorson, K., Wells, C., & Shah, D. (2014). Political influence across generations: Partisanship and candidate evaluations in the 2008 election. Information, Communication, and Society, 17, 184-202.
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Vraga, E. K., Bode, L., Wells, C., Driscoll, K., & Thorson, K. (2014). The rules of engagement: Comparing two social protest movements on YouTube. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 17, 133-140.
[link]
Bode, L., Vraga, E. K., Borah, P., & Shah, D. V. (2014). A New Space for Political Behavior: Political Social Networking and its Democratic Consequences. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 19, 414-429.
[link]
Edgerly, S., Vraga, E. K., McLaughlin, B., Alvarez, G., Yang, J., & Kim, Y. M. (2014). Navigational Structures and Information Selection Goals: A Closer Look at Online Selectivity. Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, 58, 542-561.
[link]
Borah, P., Edgerly, S., Vraga, E. K., & Shah, D. V. (2013). Hearing and talking to the other side: Antecedents of cross-cutting exposure in adolescents. Mass Communication and Society, 16, 391-416.
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Edgerly, S., Vraga, E. K., Fung, T., Dalrymple, K., & Macafee, T. (2013). Directing the dialogue: The relationship between YouTube videos and the comments they spur. Journal of Information Technology and Politics, 10, 276-292.
[link]
Thorson, K., Driscoll, K., Edgerly, S., Ekdale, B., Schrock, A., Swartz, L., Thompson, L., Vraga, E., & Wells, C. (2013). YouTube, Twitter, and the Occupy movement: Connecting content and circulation practices. Information, Communication, & Society, 16, 421-451.
[link]
Vraga, E. K., Tully, M., Akin, H. E., & Rojas, H. (2012). Modifying perceptions of hostility and credibility of news coverage of an environmental controversy through media literacy. Journalism: Theory, Practice, & Criticism, 13, 942-959.
Vraga, E. K., Edgerly, S., Bode, L., Carr, D. J., Bard, M., Johnson, C., Kim, Y. M., & Shah, D. V. (2012). The correspondent, the comic, and the combatant: The consequences of host style in political talk shows. Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, 89, 1, 5-22.
[link] [script] [correspondent] [combatant] [comic]
Shah, D. V., McLeod, D. M., Rojas, H., Sayre, B. G., Vraga, E. K., Scholl, R. M., Jones, C. & Shaw, A. (2012). Public broadcasting, media engagement, and 2-1-1: Using mass communication to increase the use of social services. American Journal of Preventative Medicine, 43, S443-S449.
[link]
Vraga, E. K. (2011). Dealing with dissonance: Responding to an incongruent test result in a new media environment. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, & Social Networking, 14, 689-694.
[link]
Vraga, E. K., Edgerly, S., Wang, B. M., & Shah, D. V. (2011). Who Taught Me That? Repurposed News, Blog Structure, and Source Identification. Journal of Communication, 61, 795-815.
[link]
Vraga, E. K., Carr, D. J., Nytes, J. P., & Shah, D. V. (2010). Precision vs. realism on the framing continuum: Understanding the underpinnings of media effects. Political Communication, 27, 1-19.
[link]
Gil de Zuniga, H., Veenstra, A. S., Vraga, E. K., & Shah, D. V. (2010). Digital democracy: Reimagining pathways to political participation. Journal of Information Technology and Politics, 7, 36-51.
[link]
Thorson, K., Vraga, E. K., & Ekdale, B. (2010). Credibility in context: How uncivil online commentary affects news credibility. Mass Communication and Society, 13, 289-313.
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Vraga, E. K., Tully, M., & Rojas, H. (2009). Media literacy training reduces perceptions of bias. Newspaper Research Journal, 30, 4, 68-81.
[link]
Funded Grants
Bode, L., & Vraga, E. K. (2019). Fact checks around the world: Exploring effectiveness of journalistic fact checks to correct health misinformation on social media in three countries. Grant amount: $7,857. Source: GHI Collaborative Research Seed Grants, Georgetown University.
Cook, J., Kim, S., & Vraga, E. K. (2019). Countering climate misinformation with humor and active inoculation. Grant amount: $1,000. Source: IAMCR/ICEA Climate Communication Award.
Bode, L., Tully, M., & Vraga, E. K. (2018). Combatting the spread of fake news and misinformation on social media. Grant amount: $5,200. Source: Page/Johnson Legacy Scholar Grants. Role: PI.
Bode, L., Vraga, E. K., & Tully, M. (2017). Using news media literacy interventions to combat misinformation on social media. Grant amount: $1,908. Source: Georgetown University.
Shah, D. V., Bode, L., Edgerly, E., Thorson, E., Thorson, K., Vraga, E. K., & Wells, C. (2016). Young adults, media flows, and electoral engagement: Understanding how campaign dynamics drive Millennials’ knowledge and participation. Grant amount: $40,000. Source: Carnegie Corporation of New York. Role: PI.
Tully, M., & Vraga, E. K. (2016). Examining the effectiveness of embedding news media literacy messages in a news aggregator. Grant amount: $23,202. Source: Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development at the University of Iowa. Role: PI
Stefanidis, A., Jacobsen, K. H., Croitoru, A., Crooks, A., Pfoser, D., & Vraga, E. K. (2015). Health narratives: A multidisciplinary approach to understanding health-related information generation and dissemination in social media. Grant amount: $50,000. Awarded by: Multidisciplinary Research Initiative Planning Committee of George Mason University.
Tully, M., & Vraga, E. K. (2015). Media literacy education and the challenge of promoting critical consumption of news. Grant amount: $6,000. Awarded by: Office of the Vice President of Research and the Center’s C. Esco and Avalon L. Obermann Endowment Fund at the University of Iowa.
Vraga, E. K. (2014). Using eye-tracking to gauge youth interest in political content on Facebook. Grant amount: $4,500. Awarded by: George Mason University Office of Research and Economic Development.
Shah, D. V., Bode, L., Edgerly, S., Thorson K., Vraga, E. K., & Wells, C. (2014). Grant amount $6,000/year, 2014-2016. Awarded by: Journal Foundation, Walter Jay and Clara Charlotte Damm Fund.
Shah, D. V., Bode, L., Edgerly, S., Thorson, K., Vraga, E. K., & Wells, C. (2012). Political influence within parent-child dyads: Partisanship, candidate preference, and political participation. Grant amount: $20,000. Awarded by: The Spencer Foundation.
Invited Peer-Reviewed Chapters
Bode, L., & Vraga, E. K. (2025). Observed correction: How we can all respond to misinformation on social media. Oxford University Press.
[link]
Segijn, C. M., & Vraga, E. (2025). Eye tracking. In Measuring Exposure and Attention to Media and Communication (pp. 113-126). Routledge.
[link]
Kim, S. C., Vraga, E. K., Cook, J., & Carver, S. (2025). Understanding the Role of Attention to Misinformation and Correction Mechanisms on Social Media with Eye‐Tracking Technology: Implications for Climate Change Crisis Communication. Communication and Misinformation: Crisis Events in the Age of Social Media, 163-179.
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Tang, R., Neal, C. B., & Vraga, E. K. (2025). Misinformation identification and correction. Communication and Misinformation: Crisis Events in the Age of Social Media, 122-144.
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Battocchio, A. F., Wells, C., Vraga, E., Thorson, K., Edgerly, S., & Bode, L. (2023). Gen Z’s civic engagement: News use, politics, and cultural engagement. In Handbook of digital politics (pp. 168-195). Edward Elgar Publishing.
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Battocchio, A. F., Bode, L., Wells, C., Vraga, E., Thorson, K., & Edgerly, S. (2023). Gen Z’s civic engagement: civic skills, political expression, and identity. In Handbook of digital politics (pp. 181-209). Edward Elgar Publishing.
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Vraga, E. K. (forthcoming). Voting and participation relevant to climate change. In E. Nisbet (Ed.), Oxford Encyclopedia of Climate Change Communication.
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Smithson, A., & Vraga, E. K. (2017). I beg to differ: Understanding political disagreement presented by candidates in gubernatorial primaries. In J. C. Baumgartner & T. L. Towner (Eds.). The Internet and the 2016 Presidential Campaign (pp. 51-77). Lexington, KY: Lexington Books.
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Bode, L., Vraga, E. K., Yang, J., Edgerly, S., Thorson, K., Shah, D., & Wells, C. (2016). Political Engagement within Parent-Child Dyads: Rethinking the Transmission Model of Socialization in Digital Media Environments. In C. A. Klofstad (Ed.) New Advances in the Study of Civic Voluntarism (pp. 127-144). Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press.
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Wells, C., Vraga, E., Thorson, K., Edgerly, S., & Bode, L. (2015). Youth Civic Engagement. In S. Coleman & D. Freelon (Eds.), Handbook of Digital Politics (pp. 199-220). Edward Elgar Publishing.
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Vraga, E. K., Bode, L., Yang, J. H., Edgerly, S., Thorson, K., Wells, C., & Shah, D. V. (2014). Political influence across generations: Partisanship and candidate evaluations in the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election. In B. D. Loader, A. Vromen, & M. Xenos (Eds.), The Networked Young Citizen: Social Media, Political Participation, and Civic Engagement (pp. 60-85). New York: Routledge.
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Thorson, K., Vraga, E. K., & Klinger-Vilenchik, N. (2014). Don’t push your opinions on me: Young citizens and political etiquette on Facebook. In J. A. Hendricks & D. Schill (Eds.), In Presidential Campaigning and Social Media: An Analysis of the 2012 Campaign (pp. 74-93). Boulder, CO: Oxford University Press.
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Bode, L., Edgerly, S., Vraga, E. K., Sayre, B., & Shah, D. V. (2013). Digital democracy: How the Internet has changed politics. In A. Valdivia & E. Scharrer (Eds.) International Companion to Media Studies – Media Effects/Media Psychology (pp. 504-525). Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishing.
Fung, T. K., Vraga, E. K., & Thorson, K. (2010). When bloggers attack: Examining the effect of negative citizen-initiated campaigning in 2008 presidential election. In J. A. Hendricks & L. L. Kaid (Eds.), Techno-politics and presidential campaigning: New technologies, new voices, new voters. New York: Routledge.
Public Reports
Nagler, R. H. (Lead Author), Fowler, E. F., Vraga, E. K., Rothman, A. J., Vogel, R. I., & Gollust, S. E. (2025). Public Awareness of Threats to Public Health and Science in March 2025. Milbank Quarterly Opinion. [Non-Refereed]
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Maibach, E., Roser-Renouf, C., Vraga, E., Bloodhart, B., Anderson, A. , Stenhouse, N., & Leiserowitz, A. (2013, April 2). A national survey of Republicans and Republican-leaning Independents on energy and climate change. Yale University and George Mason University. New Haven, CT: Yale Project on Climate Change Communication.
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Vraga, E., Roser-Renouf, C., Leiserowitz, A., & Maibach, E. (2013, Jan. 15). The Political Benefits to Taking a Pro-Climate Stand in 2013. Yale University and George Mason University. New Haven, CT: Yale Project on Climate Change Communication..
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Invited Lectures and Public Talks
Keynote/Plenary Address
Vraga, E. K. “How We Can All Respond to Misinformation on Social Media,” From Beliefs to Shared Truths: Leveraging Research for Informed Understanding The Psychology Department at UNC Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina, United States. (April 2025).
Vraga, E. K. “Observed Correction: How We can All Respond to Misinformation on Social Media.,” The Impact of AI on (Mis)Information The Center for Information Networks and Democracy, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. (April 15, 2025).
Vraga, E. K. “How Do I Know? Recognizing and Reacting to Misinformation on Social Media,” American Association of University Women. (September 30, 2024). Invited.
Vraga, E. K., (Keynote/Plenary Speaker) “What can I do? Responding proactively and responsively to misinformation,” The Wildlife Society, Louisville, Kentucky, United States. (November 6, 2023). Invited.
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Vraga, E. K., (Keynote/Plenary Speaker) “Working Together: How to Correct Misinformation on Social Media,” The information trap: Misinformation in social media Towson University. (April 22, 2022). Invited.
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Vraga, E. K., (Keynote/Plenary Speaker) “Observational Correction as a Response to Social Media Misinformation,” Language of Covid Symposium University of Richmond. (April 14, 2022). Invited.
Vraga, E. K., (Keynote/Plenary Speaker) “Experiences with observational correction (COVID-19 and beyond),” Research and Creative Activities in the time of COVID-19 Florida State University. (April 12, 2022). Invited.
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Vraga, E. K., (Speaker) “Post-conference First Infodemiology Conference,” Post-conference First Infodemiology Conference World Health Organization. (July 21, 2020). Invited.
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Lecture
Vraga, E. K. “The Strengths and Weaknesses of Media Literacy in Online Environments,” University of Memphis Cognitive Science Seminar, Memphis, Tennessee, United States. (October 15, 2025). Invited.
Vraga, E. K., (Speaker) “The Challenges of Online Health Misinformation: Best Practices to Respond,” Infectious Diseases in Primary Care Harvard Medical School. (October 2, 2023). Invited.
Vraga, E. K., (Presenter) “What Can I Do? Strategies to Mitigate Health Misinformation,” American Medical Writers Association-Greater Chicago Area Chapter. (July 28, 2023). Invited.
Vraga, E. K. “Combatting Misinformation during COVID-19,” Webinar The Council of State Governments. (July 21, 2020). Invited.
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Podium
Vraga, E. K., (Moderator) “(In)Justice Series on Data & Power: Who Owns Your Medical Information?” Institute for Advanced Study, University of Minnesota. (November 6, 2025). Invited.
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Vraga, E. K., (Facilitator) “How Covid Has Changed Health Communication: A New Path Forward,” How Covid Has Changed Health Communication: A New Path Forward University of Minnesota. (October 20, 2022). Invited
Vraga, E. K., (Panelist) “Mitigating an Infodemic,” Genome BC’s Annual Genomics Forum Genome BC. (May 5, 2021). Invited.
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Vraga, E. K., (Discussant) “Commentary on from Alexa to CRISPR: Making sense of controverisal science in an age of polarized politics,” University of Minnesota Consortium on Law & Values University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, United States. (January 22, 2020). Invited.
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Presentation/Talk
Vraga, E. K., (Panelist) “What can I do? Identifying and Responding to Climate Misinformation,” Climate Change Misinformation and Disinformation Consortium for Climate Risk in the Urban Northwest. (November 6, 2024). Invited.
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Vraga, E. K., (Presenter) “Breaking the cycle: Reacting to health misinformation on social media,” EPA Communication Research Discussion Series U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (September 28, 2023). Invited
Vraga, E. K., (Panelist) “What Can I Do? Confronting Health Misinformation in Digital Media,” HIV Prevention Trials Network Annual Meeting, Washington, District of Columbia, United States. (June 7, 2023). Invited.
Vraga, E. K. “Making correction visible: Strategies to address misinformation on social media,” Center for Informed Democracy and Social Cyber-security (IDeaS) Carnegie Mellon University. (April 25, 2023). Invited.
Vraga, E. K. “Prebunking and Debunking Interventions,” Understanding and Addressing Misinformation about Science: A Public Workshop National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (April 19, 2023). Invited.
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Vraga, E. K. “What Can I Do? Addressing the Challenge of Health Misinformation Online,” ICAP Grand Rounds Webinar ICAP at Columbia University. (April 18, 2023). Invited.
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Vraga, E. K. “The case for correction: The importance of public correction to combat online misinformation,” Harvard/Northeastern Misinformation Speaker Series Harvard University and Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States. (March 30, 2023). Invited.
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Vraga, E. K. “Making Correction Visible: Strategies to Address Misinformation on Social Media,” Annenberg Katz Colloquim Annenberg School of Communication, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. (March 24, 2023). Invited.
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Ratzan, S., (Presenter), Vraga, E. K., (Presenter), Larson, H., (Presenter) “What can I do? The challenge of health misinformation online,” CROI 2023 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, Seattle, Washington, United States. (February 22, 2023). Invited.
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Vraga, E. K. “Confronting health misinformation online,” The Rise of Dr. Google: Youth and Online Health Misinformation Children & Screens. (January 31, 2023). Invited.
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Vraga, E. K. “The case for correction: A framework for evaluating strategies to address misinformation,” Misinformation and Its Consequences for American Democracy Jack Citrin Center for Public Opinion Research, UC-Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States. (January 20, 2023). Invited.
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Vraga, E. K., (Presenter) “”The Case for Correction: A Framework for Evaluating Strategies to Address Misinformation”,” How Covid Has Changed Health Communication: A New Path Forward University of Minnesota. (October 20, 2022). Invited.
Vraga, E. K., (Panelist) “Correcting Health Misinformation on Social Media,” Regenerative medicine: Highlighting and correcting misinformation Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. (September 9, 2022). Invited.
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Vraga, E. K., (Keynote/Plenary Speaker) “What can I do? Applying news literacy and motivating correction to address online misinformation,” Knowledge Resistance in High-choice information environments Stockholm University. (August 25, 2022). Invited.
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Vraga, E. K., (Panelist), Tandoc, E., (Panelist), Lewis, S. C., (Panelist) “Engaging Junior Mobile Communication Scholars: Effective Strategies for Publication in Communication and Technology,” Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Detroit, Michigan, United States. (August 3, 2022). Invited.
Vraga, E. K., (Presenter) “Mechanisms for Observational correction,” Communication and civic life amid contention University of Wisconsin-Madison. (February 25, 2022). Invited.
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Vraga, E. K., (Panelist) “Fighting Mis/Disinformation with Science and Persuasive Messages,” Society For Health Communication Virtual Summit 2021 Society For Health Communication. (May 14, 2021). Invited.
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Vraga, E. K., (Panelist) “How Approach and Placement Affects Observational Correction on Social Media,” NYU Social Media and Political Participation Lab New York University. (April 26, 2021). Invited.
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Vraga, E. K., (Panelist) “Identifying and Responding to Health Misinformation on Social Media,” Health Communication Symposium 2021 Hong Kong Baptist University. (March 31, 2021). Invited.
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Vraga, E. K., (Presenter) “Best Practices for Correcting Social Media Misinformation,” IABC Convergence Summit. (March 18, 2021). Invited.
Vraga, E. K., (Presenter) “Using Observational Correction on Social Media to Reduce COVID-19 Misperceptions,” Northwestern Center for Communication and Public Policy. (February 9, 2021). Invited.
Vraga, E. K., (Panelist) “Correcting Health Misinformation on Social Media,” Updates in Social Media Research: Interventions PRISM Health Symposium. (December 4, 2020). Invited.
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Vraga, E. K., (Panelist) “How our modern media landscape fueled the COVID-19 infodemic,” How our modern media landscape fueled the COVID-19 infodemic Edward R. Murrow Center at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. (October 8, 2020). Invited.
Vraga, E. K. “Correcting Health Misinformation on Social Media,” Coronavirus and Pandemics: Misdirection and Misinformation University of Kentucky College of Communication and Information, Kentucky, United States. (March 9, 2020). Invited.
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Vraga, E. K., (Panelist) “Informed: The new era of local news,” Informed: The new era of local news The Atlantic, Minneapolis, Minnesota. (November 14, 2019). Invited.
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Commentary on Dr. Scheufele’s talk From Alexa to CRISPR: Making sense of controversial science in an age of polarized politics hosted by the University of Minnesota Consortium on Law and Values. Minneapolis, MN, USA. January 22, 2020.
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Panelist at Informed: The New Ear of Local News hosted by The Atlantic. Minneapolis, MN, USA. November 14, 2019.
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Lecture on Seeing and Sharing: How Social Media Habits Shape Political Beliefs and Participation for the Journalism and Communication School at Jinan University, Guangzhou, China. July 13, 2017.
Lecture on Political Coverage: Inadequate Analyses of Policies and Legislation Regarding “Who Gets What? Who Pays for What?” Sponsored by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at George Mason University, April 17, 2017.
Speaker at When Different Realities Meet. Sponsored by the Dialogue and Difference Project at George Mason University, February 16, 2017.
Panelist on Political and Policy Communication: Impact, Ethics, and the Art of Persuasion. Sponsored by the Department of Communication and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at George Mason University, October 25, 2016.
Panelist on The 2016 election: The media and the players. Sponsored by Northern Virginia Community College Annandale Campus, April 22, 2016.
Panelist on New Media for New Voters: Research Report. Sponsored by the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute (RJI) at the Missouri School of Journalism and the Political Communication Institute at the University of Missouri College of Arts and Science, October 30, 2015.
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Panelist on New Media for New Voters: A public forum. Sponsored by the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute (RJI) at the Missouri School of Journalism and the Political Communication Institute at the University of Missouri College of Arts and Science, October 29, 2015.
Lecture on Social Media and Politics: Audience Receptiveness to Political Messages for the International Visitor Leadership Program, U.S. Department of State, October 1, 2015.
Lecture on Social Media and Politics: The Promise and the Problems for the International Visitor Leadership Program, U.S. Department of State, June 10, 2014.
Lecture on Social Media and Politics: The Promise and the Problems for the International Visitor Leadership Program, U.S. Department of State, March 8, 2013.
Lecture on Social Media and Politics: Blogging, Friending, and Following for the International Visitor Leadership Program, U.S. Department of State, March 2, 2012.
Invited Workshops
Workshop on Writing Basics for Scientists for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), November 4-5, 2015.
Workshop on Data Interpretation in Program Evaluation for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), April 20, 2015.
Workshop on Data Interpretation in Program Evaluation for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), October 14, 2014.
Workshop on Choosing and Evaluating Media for the Office of Women’s Health, Strategic Communication Training Seminar, February 5, 2014.
Book Reviews
Vraga, E. K. (2015). Review of New Technologies and Civic Engagement: New Agendas in Communication, edited by Homero Gil de Zuniga. Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, 92, 1007-1009.
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Vraga, E. K. (2014). Review of Tweeting to Power: The Social Media Revolution in American Politics by Jason Gainous and Kevin M. Wagner. Public Opinion Quarterly, 78, 1026-1028.
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Recent Awards
Teri Thompson Outstanding Article Award, *Health Communication*, 2025
Awarded to one of the top three articles published in *Health Communication*, 1985–2025, for:
Bode, L., & Vraga, E. K. (2018). See something, say something: Correction of global health misinformation on social media. *Health Communication, 33*(9), 1131–1140. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2017.1331312
Hazel Gaudet-Erskine Best Book Award, *The International Journal of Press/Politics*, 2025
Nominated and short-listed for *Observed Correction: How We Can All Respond to Misinformation on Social Media*, by Leticia Bode and Emily K. Vraga.
Krieghbaum Mid-Career Award, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, 2024
Fifteen Notable Researchers Performing Work Useful to Fact-Checkers, Poynter, 2023
Named as one of 15 notable researchers performing work useful to fact-checkers.
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APIC/AJIC Award for Publication Excellence, Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology and *American Journal of Infection Control*, April 2022
Recognizes an author who published an article in the *American Journal of Infection Control* that was widely read and cited during the previous year.
JMCQ Outstanding Article Award, *Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly* Editorial Board, August 2021
Article of the Year, Communicating Health, Science, Environment, and Risk Division, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, August 2021
Sharon Dunwoody Early Career Award, University of Wisconsin–Madison, 2020
Best Reviewer Award, Political Communication Division, International Communication Association, 2018
Finalist, Outstanding Article Award, *Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly*, 2018
For:
Edgerly, S., Vraga, E. K., Bode, L., Thorson, K., & Thorson, E. (2018). New media, new relationships to participation? A closer look at youth news repertoires and political participation. *Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 95*, 192–212.
Top Paper, Children, Adolescents, and Media Division, International Communication Association, 2015
For:
Edgerly, S., Thorson, K., Thorson, E., Vraga, E. K., & Bode, L. (2015). Sparking interest, modeling consumption: A contingency model for youth news socialization. Paper presented at the International Communication Association, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Top Three Faculty Paper, Communication Theory and Methodology Division, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, 2012
For:
Vraga, E. K. (2012). Multiplying incongruence: How the emotional response to diverse sources of incongruent messages mediates participatory intentions. Paper presented at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Chicago, IL.
Best Faculty Paper, Runner-Up, Political Communication Interest Group, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, 2012
For:
Vraga, E. K. (2012). Which candidates can be mavericks? The intersection of issue disagreement and candidate biography. Paper presented at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Chicago, IL.