Data from 574 participants were used to assess perceptions ofmessage, site, and sponsor credibility across four genres of websites;
to explore the extent and effects of verifying web-based
information; and to measure the relative influence of sponsor
familiarity and site attributes on perceived credibility.The results
show that perceptions of credibility differed, such that news
organization websites were rated highest and personal websites
lowest, in terms of message, sponsor, and overall site credibility,
with e-commerce and special interest sites rated between these,
for the most part.The results also indicated that credibility
assessments appear to be primarily due to website attributes
(e.g. design features, depth of content, site complexity) rather than
to familiarity with website sponsors. Finally, there was a negative
relationship between self-reported and observed information
verification behavior and a positive relationship between
self-reported verification and internet/web experience.
The findings are used to inform the theoretical development of
perceived web credibility.