Authenticity of the Review

What it measures

A three-item scale measuring the perceived authenticity of a social media post or online review. Items assess whether a post is genuine and sincere, while two reverse-scored items tap suspicions that it may be fabricated or commercially motivated. The scale distinguishes authentic consumer-generated content from paid promotional posts, making it applicable to research on eWOM credibility, influencer marketing, and consumer scepticism toward branded social media content.

Response format

7-point Likert

Scale items

• _____'s post is genuine and sincere.
• _____'s post seems fake. (r)
• _____'s post is a paid advertisement. (r)

Full scale items shown. Always cite the original source when using this scale in research.

Usage notes & scoring

FILL-IN-THE-BLANK FORMAT: Blanks should be replaced with the poster's name or identifier. Alpha ranged from .66 to .90 across several studies — Zhang & Patrick (2021). The lower bound of .66 falls well below threshold; the scale is included on the basis of the .90 upper estimate. The .66 estimate appears to come from a study condition with limited variation in authenticity perceptions. VALIDITY: Not reported. Two items are reverse-scored (fake, paid advertisement). Companion to Authenticity of the Person (AUTPER, ID 2100) and Brand Message Authenticity (BRMAU, ID 2050).

Recommended companion scales

Citation

Zhang, Zhe and Vanessa M. Patrick (2021). Mickey D's has more street cred than McDonald's: Consumer brand nickname use signals information authenticity. Journal of Marketing, 85(5), 58–73.

Keywords