JCPSLP Vol 18 no 2 July 2016

50

45

40

35

30

25

20

15

10

5

0

APR

C

G/R

H

N OPN PE

P/T

S

Other

Generic

product specific

Diagnosis specific

Figure 1: Number of websites for each site purpose, across search categories. Note: APR = academic publication or report; C = commercial; G/R = guidance or resources; H = information hub; N = networking; OPN = Opinion or news sites; PE = personal experience; P/T = product or technique overviews; S = services.

Breakdowns for these three variables can be seen in Tables 5 and 6. In terms of domain, P/T overviews were the pages most likely to occupy non-commercial sites (51%). Non-commercial sites represented 47% of the combined information search results, with the remaining hosted on commercial or non-specified sites. Finally, 47% of the total information sites indicated recency (first posting/latest update). OPN sites were again the most likely sites to include this metadata (90%). Chi-squared analyses of the three credibility indicators showed a strong relationship between the presence of citations in the work and statements of recency ( X 2 = 13.361, p < .001). A very weak association was noted between domain type and recency ( X 2 = 2.8, p = .096), with commercial sites stating recency slightly more often than non-commercial sites (54% versus 40%, respectively). This may be due to the large number of blog posts within the commercial category, as blog posting dates are typically auto-generated. The type of domain (commercial vs. non- commercial) had no predictive value for the presence of citations ( X 2 = 0.126, p = .723). Discussion This research raises a number of issues concerning access to, and dissemination of, on-line information for AAC consumers and their support networks. These are discussed below, with reference to similar research across a range of health care domains. Finding the “right” information In general, relevance of results to AAC was highest when the names of specific approaches and brands were included in the search. It is unclear whether naïve searchers will know to use these terms however, and a lack of definitive terminology is a recognised barrier to searching for health information on the web (Roche & Skinner, 2009).

Table 4. Primary purpose of websites, presented by search category

Website purpose

Generic search

Technique search

Diagnosis search

Academic

0 (0%)

6 (6%)

2 (5%)

Commercial

24 (24%)

41 (41%)

3 (8%)

Guidance and resources 22 (22%)

4 (4%)

13 (35%)

Information hub

1 (1%)

2 (2%)

1 (3%)

Networking

0 (0%)

2 (2%)

0 (0%)

Opinions and news

0 (0%)

9 (9%)

0 (0%)

Personal experience

0 (0%)

3 (3%)

1 (3%)

Products/techniques overview

47 (47%)

27 (27%)

17 (46%)

Service directory

6 (6%)

6 (6%)

0 (0%)

Other

0 (0%)

1 (1%)

0 (0%)

We then examined the apparent credibility of websites in each purpose category. Kunst and Khan (2002) define credibility of on-line information as: “the power of inspiring belief … credible websites should offer reasonable grounds for being believed” (p. 44). Three common credibility indicators were evaluated: the domain of the website (commercial vs. non-commercial), the presence of references, and the page’s currency. OPN sites demonstrated the highest presence of references by far (representing 80% of all websites with citations). These articles, pitched at the general public, frequently concerned ethical and legal issues in facilitated communication.

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JCPSLP Volume 18, Number 2 2016

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