Knowledge and information credibility evaluation strategies regarding COVID-19: A cross-sectional study

•Substantial misinformation circulates regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.•Information credibility assessment skills are critical, particularly among nurses.•Nurses were found better able to discern credibility of information than laypersons.•Use of scientific criteria in evaluating conflicting information is scarce.•Science-based knowledge enhancement to validate quality of information is proposed. The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has not only caused significant challenges for health systems worldwide, but also fueled a surge in misinformation. Nurses as frontline health care providers should be equipped with the most accurate information on COVID-19. This study examines nurses’ knowledge and strategies of information credibility sourcing. A cross-sectional survey among nurses and laypersons with no health care background. The questionnaire dealt with knowledge and ability assess credibility of COVID-19 information. Nurses' knowledge of COVID-19 preventative behaviors was significantly higher than that of laypersons; however, there was no difference in science-based knowledge of COVID-19. In contrast to laypersons, nurses in this study were better able to discern the credibility of health-related information about COVID-19 than laypersons. Yet they rarely used scientific criteria in evaluating conflicting information. Given the importance of assessing the credibility of information, both information literacy skills and science-based knowledge about COVID-19 should be offered.