Jacquelyn Burkell

Believe It or Not: Factors Influencing Credibility on the Web.

This article reviews selected literature related to the credibility of information, including (1) the general markers of credibility, and how different source, message and receiver characteristics affect peoples perceptions of information; (2) the impact of information medium on the assessment of credibility; and (3) the assessment of credibility in the context of information presented on the Internet. The objective of the literature review is to synthesize the current state of knowledge in this area, develop new ways to think about how people interact with information presented via the Internet, and suggest next steps for research and practical applications. The review examines empirical evidence, key reviews, and descriptive material related to credibility in general, and in terms of on-line media. A general discussion of credibility and persuasion and a description of recent work on the credibility and persuasiveness of computer-based applications is presented. Finally, the article synthesizes what we have learned from various fields, and proposes a model as a framework for much-needed future research in this area.

The Dilemma of Survey Nonresponse

An examination of the library and information science (LIS) literature reveals that surveys published from 1996 through 2001 in three major LIS journals have an average response rate of 63%, and almost three fourths of the surveys have a response rate less than 75% (the level that is widely held to be required for generalizability). Consistent with the practice in other disciplines, however, most LIS researchers do not address the issue of nonresponse beyond reporting the survey response rate. This article describes a strategy that LIS researchers can use to deal with the problem of nonresponse. As a first step, they should use methodological strategies to minimize nonresponse. To address nonresponse that remains despite the use of these strategies, researchers should use one of the following strategies: careful justification of a decision simply to interpret survey results despite nonresponse, limiting survey conclusions in recognition of potential bias from nonresponse, or assessing and correcting for bias from nonresponse.

Health information seals of approval: What do they signify?

Much of the health information available to consumers on the Internet is incomplete, out of date and even inaccurate. Seals of approval or trustmarks have been suggested as a strategy to assist consumers in identifying high-quality information. Little is known, however, about how consumers interpret such seals. This study addresses this issue by examining assumptions about the quality criteria that are reflected by a seal of approval. This question is of particular importance because a wide variety of quality criteria have been suggested for online health information, including: core aspects of quality such as accuracy, currency and completeness; proxy indicators of quality such as the disclosure of commercial interests; and indicators that reflect the quality of the site or the interaction it affords, such as the availability of a search mechanism. The results of this study suggest that seals of approval are assumed to certify information quality primarily with respect to core quality indicators, aspects that subjects both consider to be important and feel relatively less able to evaluate for themselves (compared with their ability to rate proxy indicators of information or indicators of site or interaction quality). This assumption is largely inconsistent with practice: most seals of approval involve assessment of proxy indicators of information quality, rather than direct assessment of content. These results identify a problem that certification or accreditation bodies must address since, unless and until consumer expectations are congruent with evaluation practice, seals of approval will seem to promise more than they deliver.

What Accounts for the Appeal of Complementary/Alternative Medicine, and What Makes Complementary/Alternative Medicine “Alternative”?

The goal of this study was to elucidate the basis for the appeal of complementary/alternative medicine (CAM) and the basis upon which people distinguish between CAM and conventional medicine. Undergraduates (N = 173) rated 19 approaches to the treatment of chronic back pain on 16 rating scales. Data were analyzed via 3-mode factor analysis, which extracted conceptual dimensions common to both the scales and the treatments. A 5-factor solution was judged to give the best description of the raters’ perceptions. One of these 5 factors clearly reflected the distinction between conventional versus CAM approaches, and a 2nd factor clearly referred to treatment appeal. The other 3 factors were invasiveness, health care professional versus patient effort, and “druglikeness.” To the extent that treatment was seen as a CAM treatment (as opposed to a conventional treatment), it was seen to be more appealing, less invasive, and less druglike. Simple and partial correlations of the dimension weights indicated that both the appealof CAM and the distinction between CAM and conventional medicine were largely driven by the view that CAM is less invasive than conventional medicine.

Challenges in Educating Individuals with SCI to Reduce Secondary Conditions

In a health care system constrained by limited resources for patient care and education, alternative means of disseminating necessary information are needed. Achieving compliance with preventive strategies through education is a major goal in the prevention of secondary conditions following spinal cord injury (SCI). Patients in a rehabilitation setting are only likely to retain information that is provided at a time when they feel ready and when relevance is recognized. This article describes challenges to patient and family learning from the perspective of the individual with SCI (client) and the health care provider. In addition to challenges of readiness and relevance faced by the client, there are also challenges faced by rehabilitation providers in accounting for the diverse nature of the clients they serve and the pressures of the system in which they work. A commonly identified barrier to information delivery is the difficulty of matching provider availability with the time the client is receptive....

Fixing Broken Doors: Strategies for Drafting Privacy Policies Young People Can Understand

The goal of this project is to identify guidelines for privacy policies that children and teens can accurately interpret with relative ease. A three-pronged strategy was used to achieve this goal. First, an analysis of the relevant literature on reading was undertaken to identify the document features that affect comprehension. Second, focus groups were conducted to examine their experience and practices in the interpretation of privacy policies found on sites that have been identified as favorite kids’ sites. Based on the results of the literature review and focus groups, a set of potential guidelines were identified. Finally, the efficacy of these guidelines was tested in the final phase of the research project. The result of this work is a set of 14 guidelines for the drafting of privacy policies that make a difference, by improving the comprehensibility of privacy policies encountered by Canadian children and teens as they surf the Net.

On the interaction of disability and aging: Accelerated degradation models and their influence on projections of future care needs and costs for personal injury litigation

Purpose. Accelerated degradation models are emerging as ways to characterize the interaction between disability and the functional decline of aging and to provide insights about the processes of aging with disability. Typically the models employ sophisticated mathematical treatments that are beyond the scope of many clinicians, lawyers, and others who might benefit from the information they contain. The purpose of this report is to characterize some rudimentary features of the models, in more readily understandable language, and illustrate how understanding of the underlying constructs can influence decisions regarding resource allocation and other projections of future care needs. Methods. A literature review of longitudinal aging and disability studies was completed and simplified mathematical modeling undertaken, with hypothetical data, to illustrate various outcomes of the interaction of disability with the functional decline of aging. A specific example, drawn from personal injury litigation, i.e. projection of future care costs, was used to illustrate the practical applicability of this conceptual model. Conclusion. Awareness of the accelerated functional decline brought about by the superimposition of age-related functional losses on pre-existing disability reveals a need to provide for aids and personnel supports at an earlier age than might be expected because of the multiplicative interaction and the inadequacy of functional reserves to compensate for the disability.