PROBLEMATIC QUALITY OF THE INFORMATION IN THE WEBSITES TAWFIG M. ABDELAZIZ Faculty of Information Technology, University of Garyounis, Benghazi, Libya.
[email protected]
ABSTRACT In the last decade, there has been a rapid development of internet technology. As a result, billions of pages on different subjects are on offer, albeit with great variation in the quality of content. Given almost total absence of quality controls and means of verification of the credibility of sources, the service users face a real problem when evaluating the accuracy of information presented on various websites. This paper addresses internet services, quality of information presented on the Internet, highlighting the need for solutions such as the quality control of electronic information. Keywords: Information Quality, Information Quality Criteria, electronic information.
1. INTRODUCTION In modern world, knowledge is becoming a real factor that controls the fate of the peoples and nations, where the development plans and strategic planning based on the ability of the organizations to control the information in terms of production, acquisition, selection, processing, storage and use in accordance with sound policies that take into account the key objective—accessibility [1,2]. The rapid evolution of the society at the end of the last century in social, economic, and political sense was accompanied by a extensive development of information technology and communications, that have had a profound impact on the lives of individuals and groups in the transition to information societies. This transition has, without a doubt, changed the concept of development, which no longer solely depends on the financial factors, but rather on the ability to access and acquire knowledge [11,16]. The rapid development and impact of IT on the profound transitions currently taking place shows that the use of information technology is not optional but a reality imposed by the development of the new world. Moreover, it becomes inevitable due to globalization, whereby international markets rely on information technology as implementation and distribution tool. Over the past decade, significant development in information technology and communications, especially the internet, has taken place. Its impact has spread all over the world due to comprehensive and multiple services. The widespread use of the Internet, coupled with the amount of information handled, has become a
primary source of information, at least in quantitative terms. This inspired us to evaluate the quality of the information in different websites, knowing that this widespread information source is lacking even the basic legal controls regarding scientific integrity and professional ethics.
2. INFORMATION AND INTERNET SERVICES Widespread use of the Internet and the rapid and continued increase of the number of websites is a prime motivation for the emergence of important services provided by this network for the general public. These services are facilities, which are obtained by users of the network during the daily transactions, according to specialization and interest. The services offered via the Internet are classified according to the user preferences, related to information and communication, trade, culture and tourism, education and research, etc. In the field of information, the services are classified into two types—free and paid services—that are described below.
2.1 FREE SERVICES The major part of the information handled via the Internet is provided free of charge by the organizations, agencies, or private parties that produce them. The majority of these entities provide information about their services or special interests that are of interest to their customers. Companies using internet seek to attract new customers, which would otherwise not be accessible via more traditional means of communication and marketing. In addition to, there are universities, schools and research centers that publish of information in the form of lessons or reports, university dissertations or other scientific materials, which makes the internet indispensable for any researcher, professor or a student. In addition, virtual and public libraries can be accessed online, which makes the range of materials offered by these popular information sources much greater. Moreover, governmental and non-governmental organizations found Internet the best way to disseminate information on various programs and its activities.
2.2 PAID SERVICES
Although there are many excellent free internet sources, a large portion of this sector has no incentive to organize and validate the information they publish electronically. Thus, paid services have emerged in response, paying much attention to client satisfaction and information quality. Most institutions that provide paid services do so according to the customer need and market demands. This requires control over the quality standards, currently lacking in free services.
the fundamental position it occupies in the field of information dissemination. Thus, specialists in information technology and communications should find appropriate mechanisms to ensure quality of information for research and development in its comprehensive concept.
3.1 INFORMATION QUALITY
3. INFORMATION QUALITY AND INTERNET The primary objective of information systems is to satisfy the needs of readers by raising the level of services to reach at the end to provide information in the level of their needs and interests. On this basis, a major concern of the information specialists has been how to rise to the level of standard in the published information to achieve quality service. The extensive use of information technology has led to inflation in the information, where the extensive quantity has not been accompanied by quality [9,10]. This phenomenon is reflected especially in the internet, which provides large quantities of information available to users, making it impossible to distinguish sources by their quality. For example, we had a search on the topic of quality of information on the Internet by Google we got 175.000 answer in a matter of 0.43 seconds, without any means of ascertaining the relevance of those sources. Due to the phenomenon of inflation information on the Internet, the users are faced with the problem of selection (how to select the suitable information), which is based primarily on the quality factor for the Internet as a source of information. This is due to a variety of reasons, some of which are presented below: The Internet is a network of networks containing billions of pages and millions of websites in different fields and sources with the absence of any warranty of the correctness of information in the various pages and websites. The absence of lawful framework governing intellectual property rights of the information contained in this wide space. Freedom of the dissemination and the absence of scientific controls for the dissemination of information (reading committees and arbitration). Some websites do not provide the information on their source or owner’s/sponsor’s identity. Thus, despite the extensive quantity of information, lack of quality control makes internet difficult to use when attempting to source reliable and verifiable facts. Indeed, users can find good, correct, up to date and objective information, as well as that of lower quality, incorrect, and subjective. Given such discrepancies, it is not surprising that internet lacks credibility as a source of information. Thus, owing to the importance of internet in the modern world, the issue of information quality should be taken seriously, in particular due to
The concept of quality is based on a set of criteria that determine the compatibility of the product or service with the need of the beneficiary. Accordingly, the information does not reach the level of quality and has no real value unless it conforms to the needs of the beneficiary that employs it in a particular area to solve a problem or perform a need. To understand the value of information, we will provide a simple example in the rail tracking industry. The trains cannot be allowed to move in a chaotic way, as each train has to follow a certain path according to a certain timetable, as otherwise collisions would occur, with dire consequences. To avoid this, it is important to have as much information as possible on the locations and destinations of all trains on the rail tracking net. With more information available, trains will operate more regularly, with the potential to even increase the network capacity. Thus, the provision of exemplary service is reflected positively on the Tracking Company in particular, and society in general. This example shows that the use of certain information that lacks accuracy and credibility can lead to serious consequences, not only based on the effects on users, but the service providers as well. From this example, it should be understood that increasing the level of value and quality of information is a very important responsibility and is intended to protect users of information, whether they are individuals or groups. Although this responsibility is clear in traditional information systems, no such measures have been imposed on the Internet, either legally or from a professional standpoint. This is mainly due to the fact that Internet is still considered a rather new source of information, and its large size and global scope make it difficult to adopt uniform standards and legal measures. Despite the shortcomings and gaps referred here, the use of the Internet is still in the rise; however, the issue of quality control is still unresolved [13,14]. Since the responsibility of the distinction between information in the websites is the responsibility of the users and no one else, they are required to employ a level of analysis and evaluation for the selection of the correct information and quality according to scientific standards that do not allow for uncertainty. However, not all internet users possess this aptitude, by virtue of the differences between various groups that make up the majority of the Internet users.
3.2 ASSESSING QUALITY OF INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE WEBSITES Due to the novelty of the Internet as a source of information, the mechanism of the optimum control in this medium is still inadequate. That was the reason for the presence of a gap, where on one hand, the credibility of this network is in doubt, and on the other, the use of this source is rapidly expanding, as it is unmatched by any other source, at least with respect to the positive aspects. This gap has led to the need for imposition of evaluation as means of controlling the selection of the information contained in various locations.
If a site contains information previously published in other sources, its value will be diminished, as the evolution depends on the renovation and addition of information, whereby knowledge is cumulative and sustained over time. Users will clearly prefer sites that add to their knowledge and information by offering new and original content that can affect the development of the area of his interest. 3.2.3
Accuracy
The availability of accurate information saves effort and time to the reader, and its use produces results with no room for misinterpretation. 3.2.4
Correctness
In this work, the evaluation process was built based on a set of criteria that determine the quality, leading to the development of a model for quality control [17]. Therefore, the value of the information is measured by the degree of compatibility between reality and the model.
The distinction between correct and incorrect information is an evaluation process based on specialty and experience. Other indicators, such as experience, comparison and the percentage of use, are also valuable when assessing information correctness.
3.3 CRITERIA FOR EVALUATING THE QUALITY OF ELECTRONIC INFORMATION
The information is usually subjected to aging over time. If information is outdated, especially that in scientific and technical fields, most likely its value of use is lowered. Consequently, there is a need for frequent updates, whereby irrelevant information is replaced with new content.
Although quality is a complex issue, the quality criteria are typically determined based on the objectives and context. On this basis, despite numerous studies on the evaluation of the quality of electronic information, their findings are inconsistent, in terms of providing the same criteria that can be applied to all internet sources under all circumstances [3,4,5,6,7,8,15,17]. In fact, there are no specific criteria to measure the final quality of the information. Nonetheless, some kind of consensus has emerged in the field, whereby control over some of the characteristics of information, such as accuracy, relevance, reliability, clarity etc., is deemed universally valuable. These characteristics are translated into criteria that determine the quality of information. From here, we are trying to offer a range of criteria, which will help users of the Websites to distinguish between different kinds of information to enable them to select the sources that are the best and most appropriate for their needs. These criteria are discussed below 3.2.1 Value of Use Regardless of the type or source, the use is the sole purpose of information. Therefore, there is no value or meaning to any information, except to the extent that it provides partial or full response to the need of the beneficiary. Given that, when designing websites, the owner should be primarily concerned with its value to the beneficiaries and ensure that the quality of the information contained therein meets the needs of the public. 3.2.2 Uniqueness
3.2.5
3.2.6
Recentness
Scope of coverage
It is very important for information to present all aspects of the proposed topic. In the case of partial coverage, the recipient must search again for the rest of the information it needs, which is time consuming and impractical. 3.2.7
Relevance
The relationship between information and the subject of the study are identified through the strong association between them as well as the matching of information with the needs of the beneficiary. The more relevant the information, the more value it will yield. 3.2.8
Believability
As already stated, to the information provided via the Internet is not subject to any controls. Therefore, anyone can publish content on any subject at any time and any place. Hence, the crisis of confidence in the credibility of the information has emerged. In order to mitigate this problem, the website designer/owner must clarify and present as much information listed below as possible: - Name of the institution or body to which he belongs - Biography of the person or organization - Certificates - Guarantees - The presence of the reading committee - Sources of information, etc. 3.2.9
Dependability
This standard specifies whether the information can be relied upon to resolve a specific problem or not, which is essential given that the information published on the Internet is vast and it quality varied. Moreover, the purpose of this information may variant; for example, it can be used in the media, persuasion, propaganda, publicity, opposition, etc. In addition to this diversity, the levels of user competence are varied, making it difficult to evaluate the reliability and motivation behind each source. Reliability can be measured by standards of security . Security refers to the extent to which access to information is restricted appropriately to maintain its security. Similarly, relevance measures the extent to which the information is sufficiently up-todate for the task at hand. 3.2.10
Objectivity
Objectivity refers to extent to which the available information unbiased, unprejudiced and impartial. For reasons of economic expediency, many of the websites that display information are dominated by the content that is not validated by third parties. Therefore, caution should be taken when visiting these websites for objectivity, which is the foundation of the quality of information used. However, at present estimation of the quality of electronic information is still left to the endusers, who may not be fully qualified to make qualified evaluation. Thus, the question of implementation remains problematic. In order to make quality assessment more uniform, mediators and IT experts have the responsibility of finding appropriate solutions and implementing necessary mechanisms to control the quality of electronic information.
4. TOWARDS
SOLUTIONS IMPROVE THE QUALITY ELECTRONIC INFORMATION
TO OF
Despite the importance of the Internet in terms of providing services and search capabilities, the problem of controlling the quality of information remains the main obstacle that limits the effectiveness of its use, which requires taking action and the necessary measures to monitor the content of websites. Recently, IT experts have started to address the issue of quality control with respect to filter Internet content and content grading, by the development of many software programs that employ complex algorithms for content verification and classification. For example, Fares, developed by Jordanian researchers, is the program built to refine and filter the information on the Internet. Many other systems can be used to filter electronic information, such as Netnanny, Smartfilter, Netfilter, Surfwatch, WebWatcher, and CyberPatrol. This tendency to monitor the content of websites is led by students and parents associations, as well as religious institutions keen to keep children from accessing inappropriate content in the websites. The number and size of these associations that are demanding the quality
of information—including some libraries interested in the subject of filtering and purification of electronic information—is increasing rapidly. However, due to the importance of electronic information, filtering and content control poses another problem—the capabilities of such control systems can be used negatively, especially when it comes to aspects of political or ideological purification, often used to limit freedom of expression. Therefore, the topic of filtering of information presented through web technology is still under discussion and subject to much controversy. Nonetheless, these technologies that aim to control the quality of electronic information clearly indicate the urgent need for international standards specifying the quality standards of the websites in terms of form and content.
4.1. PROPOSED FRAMEWORK TO IMPROVE INFORMATION QUALITY Attempt to solve the problem of the information quality, we have proposed a model that can be followed during the website design and. It consists of several stages, discussed below.
Information creation Information is typically captured from some external source and stored in website and thus be subjected to rigorous quality control. Engineering efforts in this domain consist of edit masking, range checking, or other forms of validation. Information quality efforts are aimed at perfecting information reliability and value, during its capture and before publication on the website. Information Assessment Assessment is typically conducted in response to complaints of imperfect web content, whereby information is assessed formally or informally by IT experts to determine its suitability for current or future use. If information is judged inadequate, the assessment also determines the source of the problem and attempt to resolve the issue. Problems due to content are corrected through the information refinement stage, whereas those stemming from the internal data processing are amended by the developer through an organizational architecture level. Information Refinement If the cause of imperfect information is determined to be the content sourced elsewhere, the data values are corrected using an information refinement procedure. Information refinement refers to the process of altering information within the existing data structures. This continues to be a popular focus of information quality engineering efforts. Information Utilization Information utilization refers to the process of content generation in direct response to a request from a user or a process. Thus, the focus of information quality engineering efforts in this stage is on appropriate data
representation in website; that is, taking information from a storage location and properly presenting it to the user, as requested.
1.
5. CONCLUSION
2.
The fact that the Internet changed the behavior and lives of individuals, groups and more than one level cannot be disputed. This multi-services information source is unparalleled, at least in terms of the amount of information circulating in the network, as well as the number of methods and the ease of content access and retrieval. However, such rapid expansion has not addressed the qualitative aspect of this popular service, which is the real obstacle is the challenge faced by today's information technology. Development and use of the more comprehensive information quality will enable web developers to more effectively manage and enhance quality of information provided on the websites. We are encouraged to consider the framework proposed here, to improve information quality of the websites. The issue of quality of electronic information is a complex one, as it relates to global public space, characterized by rapid and continuous change. As a result, the basic controls for quality control are lacking. The key issue in quality control is the difficulty to set international standards that can be universally applied. In particular, any means of content control would be in breach of basic human right to freedom of expression and will be subject to controversy regarding censorship, copyright, intellectual property, security and confidentiality of personal information. Moreover, at present, access to electronic documents at the level of standardization of procedures and legal normative—as is the case for traditional documents—is still lacking. Accordingly, the issue of quality electronic information necessitates a series of measures, of which only the most important are given here: - Development of the criteria for evaluating the quality of information by the competent bodies - The contribution of IT professionals and libraries in the selection of reliable sites, appropriate for the fields and the needs of beneficiaries. - Development of information technology filter. - Attention to specifications of electronic document formats and content. - Attention to the legal aspects of intellectual property, security and confidentiality of personal information and e-arbitration.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7. 8.
9.
10. 11.
12.
13. 14.
15. Thus given that internet, as a global phenomenon, will be even more present in our lives in the future, addressing these issues now, rather than waiting for a serious issue to emerge is the most prudent step.
6. REFERENCES
16.
Shankar, G. & Watts, S. (2003). A relevant, believable approach for data quality assessment. Proceedings of 8th International Conference on Information Quality, p.178–189; 2003 . Consumer WebWatch. (2002 October ) How Do People Evaluate a Web Site's Credibility? Results from a Large Study. A Consumer WebWatch report prepared by Stanford Persuasive Technology Lab, Stanford University. Fenton, Serena, (1998 January), Information Quality: is the truth out there? http://ils.unc.edu/~fents/310/ Internet Issues and Applications, 1997-98 Scarecrow Press. Hartman, Karen and E. Ackermann, (2001 October) Meeting the Challenge of Critically Evaluating Information on the Internet and the World Wide Web, http://webliminal.com/khartman/educom98.html. Hasulo, Susanne, (2002 July), Defining Information Literacy, Information Highways Magazine 9(5). http://www.informationhighways.net/mag/mcurrent /02aug03.html [02 Aug 2002] Kirk, E. Elizabeth, (2002 May), Evaluating Information Found on the Internet, http://www.library.jhu.edu/elp/useit/evaluate/index. html . Schrock, Kathleen, (2003), The ABCs of Web Site Evaluation, http://kathyschrock.net/abceval/ ,. B. Kahn, D. Strong, R. Wang, (2002), Information Quality Benchmarks: Product and Service Performance, Communications of the ACM, pp. 184–192. F. Daniel, F. Casati, T. Palpanas, O. Chayka, C. Cappiello, (2008), Enabling Better Decisions through Quality-aware Reports, International Conference on Information Quality (ICIQ), MIT. L. Al-Hakim, (2007 January), Information Quality Management: Theory and Applications. L. Al-Hakim, (2007), Information quality factors affecting innovation process, International Journal of Information Quality, Volume 1, No. 2, pp. 162176. J. E. Alexander, & M. A. Tate, (1999). Web wisdom: How to evaluate and create information quality on the web. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum. D. E. Rose,.; D. Levinson, (2004). Understanding user goals in web search. Proceedings of the 13th international conference on World Wide Web. Wikimedia Foundation. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Good_articl e_criteria and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Featured_a rticle_criteria. J.E. Blumenstock, (2008), Automatically Assessing the Quality of Wikipedia Articles, School of Information. E. Agichtein, , E. Brill, , S. Dumais, (2006 August), Improving web search ranking by incorporating user behaviour information, Proceedings of the 29th annual international ACM SIGIR conference on Research and development in information retrieval, Seattle, Washington.
17. S.A. Knight & J.M. Burn, (2005). Developing a Framework for Assessing Information Quality on the World Wide Web. Informing Science Journal, 8(5), 159-172.
