Key science sites buried in 'information avalanche'

A study funded by the Economic and Social Research Council showed key science sites failing to register in the top 30 Google search results, and warned that academic institutions had to pay attention not only to the quality of their websites but to how easy they were to find.

The study, by Oxford Internet Institute researchers, investigated how the internet was changing the way in which people sought out sources of scientific expertise.

A fundamental observation was that, despite popular perceptions, the web was a far from neutral source of information. The structure of the web steers search in directions that may not be intended by the user, and makes some sites more accessible than others.

Search engines such as Google are playing an increasingly important gatekeeping role that will influence which information is found.

Search engines can shape “winners and losers” by means that are not always apparent, and do so in a manner which can vary according to subject matter.

“Even knowledgeable researchers allow themselves to be biased by their search behaviour,” Ralph Schroeder, one of the researchers, told IWR.

Interviews revealed that a researcher’s ideas of key networks, structures and organisations might not be mirrored by search engines.

For example, HIV/Aids researchers reported using national journals, charity organisations, statistics and public sector organisations, but none of these appeared in the top 30 search results for generic domain keywords.

“This will be an issue not just for policymakers but for educators, organisations involved in science and research communication, regulators responsible for access to the web, and citizens concerned with the diversity and richness of the information world around them,” Schroeder said.

He added that the current “fluid” market in the STM sector, with open access and traditional journals existing side by side, was affecting results, and that publishers had, in many cases, failed to understand search engines.

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