Information quality on the World Wide Web: A framework to measure and its validation

The scale and reach of published information on the World Wide Web dwarfs the printed paper world. Users are getting information from the web at the click of a button however they must dodge bad and sub-quality information before they can access and use quality content. Researchers have aimed to address this problem by suggesting various information quality frameworks. This article contends that these models though varied in their approach and application, share a greater commonality. It seeks to identify the common attributes that exist across these frameworks. A new framework for the measurement of information quality is developed and twenty two dimensions are identified for measuring information quality in context of the web from a user perspective. An online survey instrument is used for data collection. The research argues that WWW is not a homogeneous entity and should be understood from individual aspects and their interactions. It uses three independent variables of web domain, type of website and nationality to arrive at its conclusion. Results highlight nine IQ dimensions which are important across the whole web environment, while thirteen dimensions are dependent on the main effects or their interactions. The results also are in-line with Hofstede's cultural dimensions.