title: Source Credibility in Tobacco Control Messaging.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Perceived credibility of a message's source can affect persuasion. This paper reviews how beliefs about the source of tobacco control messages may encourage attitude and behavior change.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a series of searches of the peer-reviewed literature using terms from communication and public health fields. We reviewed research on source credibility, its underlying concepts, and its relation to the persuasiveness of tobacco control messages.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We recommend an agenda for future research to bridge the gaps between communication literature on source credibility and tobacco control research. Our recommendations are to study the impact of source credibility on persuasion with long-term behavior change outcomes, in different populations and demographic groups, by developing new credibility measures that are topic- and organization-specific, by measuring how credibility operates across media platforms, and by identifying factors that enhance credibility and persuasion.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This manuscript reviews the state of research on source credibility and identifies gaps that are maximally relevant to tobacco control communication. Knowing first whether a source is perceived as credible, and second, how to enhance perceived credibility, can inform the development of future tobacco control campaigns and regulatory communications.
authors.affiliation: Allison M. Schmidt, PhD Student, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Health Behavior, Chapel Hill, NC. Leah M. Ranney, Associate Director, Tobacco Prevention and Evaluation Program, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Family Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC. Jessica K. Pepper, Postdoctoral Fellow, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Health Behavior, Chapel Hill, NC. Adam O. Goldstein, Professor, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Family Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC.
authors.forename: Allison M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.affiliation: Allison M. Schmidt, PhD Student, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Health Behavior, Chapel Hill, NC. Leah M. Ranney, Associate Director, Tobacco Prevention and Evaluation Program, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Family Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC. Jessica K. Pepper, Postdoctoral Fellow, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Health Behavior, Chapel Hill, NC. Adam O. Goldstein, Professor, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Family Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC.
authors.forename: Leah M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Ranney
authors.affiliation: Allison M. Schmidt, PhD Student, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Health Behavior, Chapel Hill, NC. Leah M. Ranney, Associate Director, Tobacco Prevention and Evaluation Program, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Family Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC. Jessica K. Pepper, Postdoctoral Fellow, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Health Behavior, Chapel Hill, NC. Adam O. Goldstein, Professor, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Family Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC.
authors.forename: Jessica K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Pepper
authors.affiliation: Allison M. Schmidt, PhD Student, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Health Behavior, Chapel Hill, NC. Leah M. Ranney, Associate Director, Tobacco Prevention and Evaluation Program, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Family Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC. Jessica K. Pepper, Postdoctoral Fellow, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Health Behavior, Chapel Hill, NC. Adam O. Goldstein, Professor, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Family Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC.
authors.forename: Adam O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Goldstein
keywords: communication campaigns; health communication; source credibility; tobacco control; tobacco use