Publications

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

Zain, A., Wen, T.J., & Ittefaq, M. (2025). Online-endorsed misinformation about climate change: examining the relationship between heuristic cues of perceived expertise, messages style and bandwagon to assess message credibility and sharing intentions. Cogent Social Sciences, 11(1).

Arif, R., Ittefaq, M., & Zia, L. (2025). College students’ perceptions of artificial intelligence (AI) risks and benefits in Pakistan. Human-Machine Communication, 10(1), 147-168.

Ittefaq, M., Zain, A., Arif, R., Ahmad, T., Khan, L., & Seo, H. (2025). Factors influencing international students’ adoption of generative artificial intelligence: The mediating role of perceived values and attitudes. Journal of International Students, 15(7), 127-154.

Ittefaq, M. (2025). Digital disconnective practice: Online platform migration and technology non-use in the age of emerging social media and polarized societies. Media, Culture & Society, 47(4), 815-823.

Ejaz, W., Altay, S., & Ittefaq, M. (2025). How effective are fact-checks in Pakistan and who engages with them? Information, Communication, and Society, 28(14), 2439-2461.

Ittefaq, M., Vu, H.T., Dao, A.T., Tran, D.V., & Hansen, C. (2025).Framing a global pandemic: Journalism cultures and media coverage of COVID-19 in China, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Health Communication, 40(11), 2340-2352.

Arif, R., & Ragsdale, L., & Ittefaq, M. (2024). What does a “like” on social media mean? Understanding the motivations and interpretations of likes on Instagram. The Journal of Social Media in Society, 13(2), 109-130.

Ittefaq, M., Vu, H., Ramazan, T., Zain, A., & Kreps, G. (2024). Analysis of public opinion polls about COVID-19 vaccines: Theoretical and policy implications for vaccine communication and campaigns to address vaccine hesitancy. Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics, 20(1), 1-15.

Ittefaq, M., Zain, A., Arif, R., Ala-Uddin, M., Ahmad, T., Azhar, I., (2024). Global news media coverage of artificial intelligence (AI): A comparative analysis of frames, trends, and sentiments across 12 countries. Telematics and Informatics, 96(2025), 1-18.

Kamboh, S.A., Ittefaq, M., & Jamil, S. (2024). Powerful news sources versus advocate-journalists as factors affecting the editorial agenda-building on sustainable development goals. Journalism Practice, 19(12), 2789-2810.

Ittefaq, M. (2024). Climate communication, public health, and social media: Examining the role of health agencies in addressing the impacts of climate change on human health. Journal of Health Communication, 29(1), 68-76.

Ittefaq, M., & Reynolds-Tylus, T. (2024). Memorable messages about mental health among international students in the United States: A mixed-method study. Health Communication, 40(4), 631-641.

Kamboh, S.A., Ittefaq, M., & Pezzullo, P. (2024). Articulating a Loss and Damage Fund: How the Global South is Rethinking Agency and Justice in an Age of Climate Disasters. Environmental Communication, 18(3), 302-321.

Ittefaq, M., Ahmad, T., Kamboh, S.A., Shah, S.F.A., & Seo, H. (2024). Highlighting heroes and ignoring villains: Visual framing of polio and polio vaccine in newspapers. Health Communication, 39(13), 3317-3329.

Ittefaq, M., Kamboh, S.A., Zelaya, C., & Arif, R. (2024). Polio vaccine misinformation on social media: Challenges, efforts, and recommendations. Journal of Science Communication, 23(01), Y01.

Ittefaq, M. & Kamboh, S.A. (2024). Communities of care for air pollution policies in Pakistan: An integrated approach to public engagement and policy implementation. Environmental Communication, 18(1-2), 49-55.

Kamboh, S.A., Ittefaq, M., & Rehmat, A. (2023). A coalition for science journalism as a multi-stakeholder community of practice: A proposal from South Asia. Journalism Studies, 25(5), 566-574.

Ittefaq, M. (2023). “Beating your head against the wall:” Burnout on the rise, communication officials in local health departments likely to leave public health field. Health Security, 21(6), 440-449.

Ittefaq, M. (2023). “It frustrates me beyond words that I can’t fix that”: Health misinformation correction on Facebook during COVID-19. Health Communication, 39(12), 2647-2657.

Kamboh, S.A., Ittefaq, M., & Jin, Y. (2023). Crisis communication for public organizations: Examining Pakistan Railways’ use of information technology and social media for image repair. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 32(1), e12496.

Kamboh, S.A., Hameed, A., & Ittefaq, M. (2023). Ethnic newspaper industry in Pakistan and impacts of corporate ownership. South Asia Research, 43(3), 380-399.

Ittefaq, M., Zain, A., & Bokhari, H. (2023). Opioids in satirical news shows: Exploring topics, sentiments, and engagement in Last Week Tonight on YouTube. Journal of Health Communication, 28(1), 53-63.

Seo, H., Liu, Y., Ebrahim, H., Ittefaq, M., & Chung, D. (2023). The COVID-19 pandemic and international students: A mixed-methods approach to relationships between social media use, social support, and mental health. First Monday, 28(2).

Ittefaq, M., Abwao, M., Coman, I.A., & Ejaz, W. (2023). A systematic literature review of research from 2010 to 2020 addressing user-generated online comments related to health issues and recommendations for future research. International Journal of Communication, 17, 256-280.

Ejaz, W., Ittefaq, M., & Jamil, S. (2023). Politics triumphs: A topic modeling approach of analyzing news media coverage of climate change in Pakistan. Journal of Science Communication, 22(01), A02.

Kamboh, S.A.& Ittefaq, M. (2022). Advocacy journalism and climate justice in a Global Southern country. Local Environment, 28(4), 412-432.

Jamil, S., Iqbal, A., Ittefaq, M., & Kamboh, S.A. (2022). Building a media literate society: Pathways to improve media and information literacy education in Pakistan. Journalism and Mass Communication Educator, 77(4), 414-428.

Seo, H., Liu, Y., Ittefaq, M., Shayesteh, F., Kamanga, U. & Baines, A. (2022). International migrants and coronavirus disease 2019 vaccinations: Social Media, motivated information management, and vaccination willingness. Digital Health, 8(1), 1-11.

Zhou, L., Ouyang, F., Li, Y., Zhan, J., Akhtar, N., & Ittefaq, M. (2022). Examining the factors influencing tourists’ destination : A case of Nanhai Movie Theme Park in China. Sustainability, 14(18), 11419.

Ittefaq, M., Kamboh, S.A., Iqbal, A., Iftikhar, U., Abwao, M., & Arif, R. (2022). Understanding public reactions to state security officials’ suicide cases in online news comments. Death Studies, 47(4), 499-508.

Baines, A., Seo, H., Ittefaq, M., Shayesteh, F., Kamanga, U., & Liu, Y. (2022). Race/ethnicity, online information and COVID-19 vaccination: Study of minority immigrants’ internet use for health-related information. Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, 29(2), 268-287.

Kamboh, S.A., Ittefaq, M., & Yousaf, M. (2022). Editorial journalism and environmental issues in the majority world. International Journal of Communication, 16, 2646-2668.

Ittefaq, M., Seo, H., Abwao, M., & Baines, A. (2022). Social media use for health, cultural characteristics, and demographics: A survey of Pakistani millennials. Digital Health, 8, 1-12.

Ittefaq, M., Abwao, M., Baines, A., & Belmas, G., Kamboh, S.A., & Figueroa, E. (2022). A pandemic of hate: Social representations of COVID-19 in the media. Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy, 22(1), 225-252.

Baines, A., Ittefaq, M., & Abwao, M. (2022). Social media for social support: A study of international graduate students in the U.S. Journal of International Students, 12(2), 345-365.

Kamboh, S.A., Ittefaq, M., & Sahi, A. (2022). Journalistic routines as factors promoting COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Pakistan. Third World Quarterly, 43(1), 278-287.

Shah, S.F.A., Ginossar, T., & Ittefaq, M. (2021). “We always report under pressure”: Professionalism and journalistic identity among regional journalists in a conflict zone. Journalism, 24(4), 709-728.

Ejaz, W., Ittefaq, M., & Arif, M. (2021). Understanding influences, misinformation, and fact-checking concerning climate-change journalism in Pakistan. Journalism Practice, 16(2-3), 404-424.

Ittefaq, M., Ejaz, W., Jamil, S., Iqbal, A., & Arif, R. (2021). Discriminated in society and marginalized in media: Social representation of Christian sanitary workers in Pakistan. Journalism Practice, 17(1), 66-84.

Ittefaq, M., Ejaz. W., Fahmy, S. F., & Sheikh, A. (2021). Converged journalism: Practices and influences in Pakistan. Media International Australia, 181(1),167-182.

Abwao, M., Ittefaq, M., Baines, A., & Liu, P. (2021). “The disabled community is still waiting for equality”: What do users have to say about sexual reproductive health of persons with disabilities in online news comments. Frontiers in Communication, 6.

Ejaz, W., Ittefaq, M., Seo, H., & Naz, F. (2021). Factors associated with the belief in COVID-19 related conspiracy theories in Pakistan. Health, Risk, & Society, 23(3-4), 162-178.

Ittefaq, M., Ahmed, Z.S., & Pantoja, Y.I.M. (2021). China’s Belt and Road Initiative and soft power in Pakistan: An examination of the local English-language press. Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, 19(1), 1-14.

Baines, A., Ittefaq, M., & Abwao, M. (2021). #Scamdemic, #Plandemic, or #Scaredemic: What Parler social media platform tells us about COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccines, 9(5), 421.

Laeeq, M. L., Ittefaq, M., Pantoja, Y. I. M., Malik, A., & Raziq, M. M. (2021). Public engagement model to analyze digital diplomacy on Twitter: A social media analytics framework. International Journal of Communication, 15, 1741–1769.

Ittefaq, M., Baines, A., Abwao, M., Shah, S.F.A., & Ramzan, T. (2021). “Does Pakistan still have polio cases?”: Exploring discussions on polio and polio vaccine in online news comments in Pakistan. Vaccine, 39(3), 480-486.

Ittefaq, M. (2019). Digital diplomacy via social networks: A cross-national analysis of governmental usage of Facebook and Twitter for digital engagement. Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia, 18(1), 49-69.

Ahmad, T., Alvi, A., & Ittefaq, M. (2019). The use of social media on political participation among university students: an analysis of survey results from rural pakistan. Sage Open, 9(3), 1-9.

Kamboh, S. A., & Ittefaq, M. (2019). Newspaper suicide reporting in a Muslim country: Analysis of violations and compliance with international guidelines. Journal of Media Ethics, 34(1), 2-14.

Ittefaq, M. (2019). Revisiting news value theory in the age of globalization. Journal of Media Studies, 33(2), 81-100.

Ittefaq, M., & Iqbal, A. (2018). Digitization of the health sector in Pakistan: challenges and opportunities to online health communication: A case study of MARHAM social and mobile media. Digital Health, 4.

Ittefaq, M., & Ahmad, T. (2018). Representation of Islam and Muslims on social media: A discourse analysis of Facebook. Journal of Media Critiques, 4(13), 39-52 .

Peer-Reviewed Commentaries

Kamboh, S.A. & Ittefaq, M. (2023). Floods in Pakistan and the Synthesis of Glocal Voices on Climate Justice. Global Policy.

Ittefaq, M., & Kamboh, S. A. (2022). COVID-19 and national images: the case of #ResignModi. Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, 18, 15–17.

Ittefaq, M., Abwao, M., & Kamboh, S.A. (2021). COVID-19 vaccine selfie: Why does it matter? American Journal of Health Education, 52(6), 360-363.

Ittefaq, M., Kamboh, S.A., & Abwao, M. (2021). COVID-19 vaccine selfie: A modest endeavor to increase vaccine acceptance. Psychology & Health, 38(2), 209-213.

Ittefaq, M., Abwao, M., & Rafique, S. (2021). Polio vaccine misinformation on social media: Turning point in the fight against polio eradication in Pakistan. Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics, 17(8), 2575-2577.

Ittefaq, M., Hussain, S. A., & Fatima, M. (2020). COVID-19 and social-politics of medical misinformation on social media in Pakistan. Media Asia, 47(1-2), 75-80.

Ejaz, W., & Ittefaq, M. (2020). Data for understanding trust in varied information sources, use of news media, and perception of misinformation regarding COVID-19 in Pakistan. Data in Brief, 32, 106091.

Arafat, S.Y., Shoib, S., Marthoenis, M., Kar, K.S., Menon, V., Ittefaq, M., & Kabir, R. (2020). Media reporting of suicide in Muslim countries. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 23(10), 941-944.

Book Chapters

Ramasubramanian, S., Ittefaq, M., Ogunsanwo, F., Dragić, L., & Tetteh, B. (2025). De-Westernizing media psychology. In Bailey, R. & Glenna L. R. De Gruyter Handbook of Media Psychology. De Gruyter.

Ittefaq, M., Ejaz, W., & Jan, W. (2024). Cross-Border Journalism in South Asia. In Rothenberger, L., Löffelholz, M., & Weaver, D. The Palgrave Handbook of Cross-Border Journalism. (pp. 445–460). Palgrave Macmillan.

Ittefaq, M., Kamboh, S.A., & Ashfaq, A. (2023). Climate Change Journalism in Pakistan: Ethical Deliberations. In Mutsvairo, B., Bebawi, S. & Borges-Rey, E. The Routledge Companion to Journalism in the Global South. (pp. 419-429). Routledge.

Kamboh, S.A., Ittefaq, M., Jamil, S. & Rehman, B.A. (2023). Ethical Dimensions of Climate and Environmental Issues in Pakistani Media. In Crawford, N.J.W. & Michael, K. Climate Justice in the Majority World. (pp. 201-220). Routledge.

Abwao, M., Ittefaq, M., & Watson, J. (2022).People with Disabilities and Self-Disclosure about Sexual Reproductive Health on the Internet. In Manning, J., & Noland, C. (2nd ed.), Contemporary Studies of Sexuality and Communication: Theoretical and Applied Perspectives (pp. 259-274). Kendall Hunt Publishing Company.

Shah, S. F., Jan, F., & Ittefaq, M. (2021). Health and safety risks to journalists during pandemics. In Jamil, S., Çoban, B., Ataman, B., & Appiah-Adjei, G. (Ed.), Handbook of Research on Discrimination, Gender Disparity, and Safety Risks in Journalism (pp. 90-103). IGI Global.

Book Review

Ittefaq, M. (2021). [Review of the book Movements for Change: How Individuals, Social Media and Al Jazeera Are Changing Pakistan, Egypt and Tunisia, by Rauf Arif]. International Journal of Communication, 15, 1875–1878.