Fake News Detection through Eye-tracking Measures: A Preregistered Scoping Review

The proliferation of fake news poses significant societal risks, yet current detection approachesremain limited in speed, scalability, and objectivity. Eye-tracking offers a promising alternativeby revealing real-time visual attention patterns that reflect underlying cognitive and affectiveprocesses during news consumption. In this preregistered scoping review, we synthesisedfindings from 25 studies published between 2017 and 2025, following the PRISMA-ScRframework. We identified key eye-tracking metrics (particularly fixation duration and pupildilation) and methodological trends (predominantly lab-based studies using simulated socialmedia content). While fixation metrics were the most frequently employed, results were mixed,likely due to variability in stimulus format and content complexity. In contrast, pupillaryresponses exhibited a more consistent association with fake news exposure, highlighting theirpotential as reliable indicators for misinformation detection. Few studies explored socio-cultural and individual differences in gaze behaviour, despite their theoretical importance. Wealso identified several critical research gaps: the absence of standardized eye-tracking protocols,limited ecological validity, narrow participant demographics, high variability in stimulusdesign, and a dominant reliance on cognitive-based theories. These limitations hinder cross-study comparability and the development of generalizable models. This review advances thefield by integrating fragmented evidence and offering a comprehensive overview of how eye-tracking can inform fake news detection. We conclude by outlining key recommendations forfuture research, including the need for interdisciplinary theoretical integration and ecologicallyvalid study designs. Our findings underscore the potential of eye-tracking as both a diagnostictool and theoretical lens in fake news research in the era of misinformation.