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9:2
[Open section]
Maria Mattus
Finding Credible Information
A Challenge to Students Writing Academic Essays
Affiliation: Linköping University,
Sweden
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Keywords: information seeking,
students, academic writing, credibility, web-/computer-based
information, Internet, source criticism
Abstract:
This study focuses on how students assess the credibility of
scientific information in web-based environments. What
importance do students attach to different cues when assessing
credibility? The aim is to investigate whether the framework
suggested by Fogg (2002; 2003; Tseng & Fogg 1999a; 1999b),
which comprises four types of web credibility (presumed,
reputed, surface and earned credibility), can be of use in
this specific context to increase the understanding of how
essay-writing students assess the credibility of scientific
information in web-based environments.
A questionnaire concerning students’ search behaviour and
their evaluation of information was answered by 144 students
(110 women and 34 men) at a Swedish university. Descriptive
statistics were used during the data processing.
The students were asked to
rate the credibility of 24 elements. They attached most
importance to the following elements: Year of publication,
Teachers’ recommendations, Abstract, and Established
researcher. These elements represented all four types in
Fogg’s framework. The elements that concerned earned
credibility – based on first hand experience – were noted as
comparatively more important by the respondents.
The article may be referenced as
Mattus, Maria.
“Finding Credible Information: A
Challenge to Students Writing Academic Essays.”
Human IT
9.2
(2007): 1–28. <http://www.hb.se/bhs/ith/2-9/mm.pdf>
