Assessing the credibility of Web information by university students: findings from a case study in Iran

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how university students assess the credibility of diverse information available on the Web. Design/methodology/approach This paper used applied study and was conducted using the survey-descriptive method. Using a randomized stratified sampling method and the Cochran sampling formula, a sample including 380 student participants was selected from Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran. Data were gathered by administrating a validated questionnaire including eight components of ethics, writing style, website appearance, website identity, professional information, accuracy, usability and interaction. Data were analyzed by software SPSS 20.0 and LISREL 8.7. Findings Confirmatory factor analysis using structural equation modeling indicated that the overall framework is reliable according to the goodness of fit indices for the measurement and structural models showing a high quality on measuring the variable in the context studied. Findings also showed that the components usability, interaction, accuracy, website appearance, writing style, professional information, ethics and website identity had the standard relevance. Practical implications Users paid more attention to semantic- and expertise-related features compared to characteristics of the source and its authority. Such preference should be taken into account by providers when producing information and students when evaluating information. Originality/value The framework underlying this research had the required quality incorporating a set of most important criteria for exploring Web information evaluation behavior by the students, which is also useful for future related studies.

Assessing information quality of Bangladesh e-government websites

“…Furthermore, the participants rated highly about the authority of information sources and the responsibility for information provided on e-government websites. This is in contrast to the finding by Keshavarz (2020), who found that students gave less attention to authority and source in comparison to semantic features. The respondents in this study perceived that the information provided on the e-government websites of Bangladesh are easy and clear in terms of understandability of the content.…”

“…Additionally, reputation of e-government websites creates trustworthiness among users regarding making references to relevant agencies of the government (Huang and Benyoucef, 2014). The accuracy of information had a high impact on the credibility of the websites which is considered as an important dimension for information quality assessment (Keshavarz, 2020). The respondents of this current study highly rated the credibility of e-government websites in Bangladesh.…”

Information discernment and the psychophysiological effects of misinformation

“…However, Hicks (2021) argues that this inoculation metaphor characterises individuals as passive and vulnerable rather than being able to actively resist or contest messages. This chimes with other researchers who voice concerns that previous research into these specific forms of misinformation associated with conspiracy theory and extremism ideation in particular have not investigated people's ability to actively process information in order to promote analytical thinking (Douglas et al, 2019) such as making credibility judgements about websites (Keshavarz, 2020). Whitworth (2020a, p.25) regards information literacy as a potential solution, being in-itself a political act, 'enmeshed in formal and informal decision-making'.…”

“…However, there is a nuanced and highly statistically significant pattern, high-level information discerners are far more likely to strongly disagree with the statement than low discerners. This lack of critical awareness to make credibility judgements (Keshavarz, 2020) could make low-level information discerners vulnerable to misinformation of any material whether it be health related, extremist or conspiracy forming information as noted by Douglas et al (2019). In a linked statement regarding the authority of sources participants there was a marked difference in their responses.…”

Evaluating Web Content Using the W3C Credibility Signals

“…Human credibility assessments of web content are often linked to surface signals. Indeed, website appearance, usability and design have frequently been shown to correlate with credibility [24]. We focus on the content and language of web pages rather than surface characteristics for multiple reasons.…”