A scale for credibility evaluation of scientific websites: findings from a cross-contextual approach

Abstract

PurposeDue to the extreme importance of evaluating the credibility of information available on a huge number of scientific websites, the present research aimed to develop a measurement scale based on a validated questionnaire incorporating the novel conceptualization of the concept credibility by Hovland and Weiss (1951).Design/methodology/approachRegarding the descriptive and survey nature of the research, the data were collected based on a stratified random sampling among the 672 students in two different contexts at five top nonmedical universities and, with a one-year interval, at three top medical universities in Iran. High reliability and construct validity were reported by testing the convergent and discriminant validity of the main instrument.FindingsConfirmatory factor analysis (CFA) resulted in a scale named SWCRED including eight components and 28 items. Considering path coefficients (?) and t-statistics (t-value), a significant relationship was reported between all components and the main variable of credibility in the final scale at a 99% confidence level (t = 2.57).Practical implicationsResults suggest that the information credibility of scientific websites, especially in the university contexts, can be measured by asking participants to rate how well eight components represent content including ethics, writing style, website appearance, website identity, professional information, accuracy, usability and interaction. The scale has a goodness of fit from the different indices and is of high validity for use in different educational and research settings.Originality/valueThe framework underlying the research has the required quality integrating a set of most important criteria for exploring the credibility evaluation of scientific web information by the students, which is useful for future-related studies.