Developing a theoretical framework for web credibility assessment—A case of social Q&A sites: preliminary findings

Abstract

As part of a larger study, this poster reports on preliminary findings of efforts to develop a theoretical framework for assessing the credibility of information on social question-and-answer (Q&A) sites. A literature analysis was conducted to identify relevant criteria for assessing web credibility on social Q&A sites, which were then mapped to an existing framework of web credibility assessment [1]. Specifically, 21 criteria identified by the literature analysis were categorized into one of six types of web credibility assessments—operator (author) trustworthiness, operator (author) expertise, con-tent trustworthiness, content expertise, design trustworthiness, and design expertise—to develop an information platform type-specific framework of in-formation credibility. Results show that existing criteria used in the literature have focused primarily on content-related attributes (e.g., evidence-based, structural completeness, and semantic clarity and comprehensive-ness), but less on operator (author)-related attributes (e.g., credentials) or de-sign features (e.g., interactive design, appropriateness of design, ease of use). Implications of the findings and future research directions are discussed.