New paper published by AoIR members:

http://ijoc.org/ojs/index.php/ijoc/article/view/636

Hargittai, E, Fullerton, F, Menchen-Trevino E & Thomas, K. (2010). Trust Online: Young Adults’ Evaluation of Web Content. International Journal of Communication. 4:468-494.

Little of the work on online credibility assessment has considered how the information-seeking process figures into the final evaluation of content people encounter. Using unique data about how a diverse group of young adults looks for and evaluates Web content, our paper makes contributions to existing literature by highlighting factors beyond site features in how users assess credibility. We find that the process by which users arrive at a site is an important component of how they judge the final destination. In particular, search context, branding and routines, and a reliance on those in one’s networks play important roles in online information-seeking and evaluation. We also discuss that users differ considerably in their skills when it comes to judging online content credibility.

The process for selection and publication of papers for the 2008 AoIR special issue of Information, Communication and Society is as follows:

Phase 1 – A short list of papers/authors invited by the editors to submit a formal paper by Phase 2. [NOW COMPLETE]

Phase 2 – If you’re on the short list, please submit a full paper of 5-7,000 words by September 1, 2007 to both editors: Haythornthwaite and Wellman. NOTE: This is a hard deadline. No papers will be considered after this deadline.

Phase 3 – The editors will return comments and suggested edits on your paper by October 1, 2007. (We may also secure an additional referee, if needed.)

Phase 4 – Return the final paper to both editors by November 5, 2007.

Please note that due to the quick turnaround time to have the special issue out early in January 2008, *no* extensions will be given for these deadlines. You are, of course, free to submit the paper at a later date for ICS, but it will no longer be considered part of the special issue if you miss either the September 1 or November 5 deadline. (Please submit late papers directly to Brian Loader, the ICS editor).

Papers should conform to ICS style as indicated at this URL. Please pay particular attention to ICS formatting for references both in text and in the final reference list.
See http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/authors/ricsauth.asp

In addition, please follow these guidelines for papers sent to the special issue editors:

• Use Times Roman typeface, 12 pt text for normal text throughout
• Double space throughout
• Add line numbers, by page (in Word for Windows this is under File: Page Setup: Layout; on Word for Mac this is under Format: Document: Layout)
• Submit Word files only (no pdf, LaTex, or Word Perfect please).

Barry Wellman
S.D. Clark Professor of Sociology, FRSC
Centre for Urban & Community Studies
University of Toronto

Caroline Haythornthwaite
Associate Professor
Graduate School of Library and Information Science,
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Abstract
“This study summarizes prior reviews of new media and Internet research, and the growth of the term Internet in academic publications and online newsgroups. It then uses semantic network analysis to summarize the interests and concepts of an interdisciplinary group of Internet researchers, as represented by session titles and paper titles and abstracts from the 2003 and 2004 Association of Internet Researchers conferences. In both years, the most frequent words appearing in the paper abstracts included Internet, online, community, social, technology, and research. The 2003 papers emphasized topics such as the social analysis/research of online/Internet communication, community, and information, with particular coverage of access, individuals, groups, digital media, culture; role and process in e-organizations; and world development. The 2004 papers emphasized topics such as access; news and social issues; the role of individuals in communities; user-based studies; usage data; and blogs, women, and search policy, among others.”

Ronald E. Rice, “New media/Internet research topics of the association of Internet researchers” (2005). Information Society. 21 (4), pp. 285-299. Postprint available free at: http://repositories.cdlib.org/postprints/943