[Air-L] Research on critical evaluation of internet information?

[Jeremy Depauw]

Hi,
This is precisely the subject of my PhD: How to asses the quality of
information and select online sources.  I have a special focus on corporate
information specialists but I think it applies to your academic object.

To investigate this subject, I've done a two-step fieldwork research. First
consist in submitting a list of information quality criteria taken from a
book written in 2001. Each criteria had to be rated on its level of
importance when applied to 5 specific formats (blogs, wikis, podcasts,
file sharing and social network) compared to "classic online sources".

For information quality assessement, I have noriced 2 approach. The academic
one, that is very broad, concpetual, theorethical, etc. You deal with very
interesting things such as authority, timeliness, acuracy, etc... But this
is not very useful when applied to a real situtaion. Here, Professional
literature provides you with a great help. All thos general criteria are
generally declined in checklists of precise questions. For exemple,
assessing update is not easy as such but the checklist ask you: is there an
expicit date of the information ? is the information up-to-date? is there
statement of policy regarding frequency of update? etc. Two references have
to be suggested in my opinion:

Alexander, J. E. (1999). Web Wisdom: How to Evaluate and Create Information
Quality on the Web (p. 156). Mahwah, N.J: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Cooke, A. (2001). A Guide to Finding Quality Information on the Internet:
Selection and Evaluation Strategies (2 éd., p. 216). London: Library
Association Pub.

This is research is detailled in

Depauw, J. (2007). Dealing with user generated content: Adjusting
Information managers' source selection and information quality assessment.
Dans Proceedings of The Good, the Bad and the Unexcpected. Moscow: Cost 298.

Results are to be presented at IR9.0 - at doctoral colloquium and on
Saturday. Paper #306

Depauw, J. (2008). Information quality assessment and source selection on
the internet for competitive intelligence: fieldwork research on 53 Belgian
executives. Dans Proceeding of Internet Research 9.0: Rethinking Community,
Rethinking Place. IT University of Copenhagen: Association of Internet
Researchers.

The second step of the fieldwork research consists in 15
qualitative interview with respondents of the first step. During this
interview, I asked a question that might interest you as I wondered if there
are criteria of information quality that are not covered in the list of the
study. I don't remember everything I have to say. But I cans share this
asap. My dissertation is due to May 2009.

I hope this helps. Feel free to contact me off-list if you want more
details.

I wish you all a nice WE guys,
____________
Jeremy Depauw
PhD Student

Département des Sciences de l'Information et de la Communication (S.I.C.)
Université Libre de Bruxelles (U.L.B.)
Avenue F.D. Roosevelt 50/123
Web: http://dev.ulb.ac.be/philo/jdepauw/