Reputation-Based Selection Of Web Information Sources

The paper compares Google's ranking with the ranking obtained by means of a multi-dimensional source reputation index. The data quality literature defines reputation as a dimension of information quality that measures the trustworthiness and importance of an information source. Reputation is recognized as a multidimensional quality attribute. The variables that affect the overall reputation of an information source are related to the institutional clout of the source, to the relevance of the source in a given context, and to the general quality of the source's information content. We have defined a set of variables measuring the reputation of Web information sources along these dimensions. These variables have been empirically assessed for the top 20 sources identified by Google as a response to 100 queries in the tourism domain. Then, we have compared Google's ranking and the ranking obtained along each reputation variable for all queries. Results show that the assessment of reputation represents a tangible aid to the selection of information sources.