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- Title
An Examination of Factors That Affect the Credibility of Online Health Information.
- Authors
Freeman, Krisandra S.; Spyridakis, Jan H.
- Abstract
The article examines the effect of street address and external links on perceptions of credibility of a Web page. Credibility is a complex concept that has been defined as believability, trust, perceived reliability and dozens of other concepts and combinations. The Elaboration Likelihood model provides a useful theoretical framework for understanding how factors such as the presence of a street address or the reputation of a Web site sponsor can affect the credibility of information on a Web page. A wide range of site-wide factors may affect the credibility of online health information including the quality of navigation and template design and the presence or absence of advertisements and promotional language. Like the presence of street address, links can serve either as tools for central processing of information or as cues for peripheral processing. Information overload and shortage of time are factors that can affect the use of central or peripheral processing by readers from all demographic groups. One hundred fifty participants took part in the study. Materials were pilot-tested to determine whether the two articles in the no address/no link conditions would receive similar credibility ratings and to check the functionality of the WebQ software. Participants' interest in the topic correlated with their willingness to use or recommend information in the articles as well as all six credibility measures.
- Subjects
WEBSITES; INFORMATION science; ELABORATION likelihood model
- Publication
Technical Communication, 2004, Vol 51, Issue 2, p239
- ISSN
0049-3155
- Publication type
Article