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Assessing the authority of free online scholarly information

Author

Listed:
  • Chuanfu Chen

    (Wuhan University)

  • Yuan Yu

    (Wuhan University)

  • Qiong Tang

    (Sun Yat-sen University)

  • Kuei Chiu

    (University of California)

  • Yan Rao

    (Wuhan University)

  • Xuan Huang

    (Shenzhen Institute of Standards and Technology)

  • Kai Sun

    (Wuhan University)

Abstract

Authority generally relates to expertise, recognition of official status of a source, and the reputation of the author and publisher. As the Internet has become a ubiquitous tool in modern science and scholarly research, evaluating the authority of free online scholarly information is becoming crucial. However, few empirical studies have focused on this issue. Using a modified version of Jim Kapoun’s “Five criteria for evaluating web pages” as framework, this research selected 32 keywords from eight disciplines, inputted them into three search engines (Google, Yahoo and AltaVista) and used Analytic Hierarchy Process to determine the weights. The first batches of results (web pages) from keyword searching were selected as evaluation samples (in the two search phases, the first 50 and 10 results were chosen, respectively), and a total of 3,134 samples were evaluated for authority based on the evaluation framework. The results show that the average authority value for free online scholarly information is about 3.63 (out of five), which is in the “fair” level (3 ≤ Z

Suggested Citation

  • Chuanfu Chen & Yuan Yu & Qiong Tang & Kuei Chiu & Yan Rao & Xuan Huang & Kai Sun, 2012. "Assessing the authority of free online scholarly information," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 90(2), pages 543-560, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:scient:v:90:y:2012:i:2:d:10.1007_s11192-011-0524-5
    DOI: 10.1007/s11192-011-0524-5
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Soo Young Rieh, 2002. "Judgment of information quality and cognitive authority in the Web," Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 53(2), pages 145-161.
    2. John W. Fritch & Robert L. Cromwell, 2001. "Evaluating Internet resources: Identity, affiliation, and cognitive authority in a networked world," Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 52(6), pages 499-507.
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