MacArthur Foundation-funded initiative by the American Library Association’s Office of Information & Technology Policy and the University of Washington to conduct research into the credibility of information on the Internet.

“The credibility of Internet information is a problem. While the credibility of Information in general is an issue, the Internet presents a new set of challenges. Today the public is expected to book their own airline tickets, decide on their own retirement plan, even decide on life and death medical treatments with the tools and information on the web. With a disappearing paper trail in voting, with no one official copy of government documents, with a lack of common criteria in presenting and consuming credible information there is a great need to research and develop real tools to help the citizen. Addressing these issues now, as tools are being developed and more critical information is becoming exclusively Internet information, will prevent larger and more dire consequences in the near and long-term future.” (from About the Commons)

A notable goal of the initiative is to “incorporate new credibility tools and mechanisms into a wide array of information products.” Initial tools include Reference Extract, Digital Reference Face Off, and Credibility Repository.

Starter Links: Credibility Commons home page | About the Commons | Projects