Research Policy Conference

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Research Policy Conference

• Laura Larsson
• Research Librarian
• Health Services
• University of Washington
• May 14, 1998
• larsson_at_u.washington.edu

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Objectives

• Define what a research Web is
• Introduce you to several research Webs
• Who produces research Webs?
• How is the research web organized?
• Discuss what makes a good research Web
• Defining quality in research Webs (if time)

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What is a Research Web?

• A Research Web is the electronic embodiment of
  the intellectual capital of the network of
  excellence which develops about a problem or
  research issue.
• It is a WWW site that disseminates information,
  provides communication facilities, and provides
  an infrastructure for collaborative interaction.

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In General, a Research Web

• describes the language of the project
• organizes the knowledge gained through the
  research
• provides a method of modeling the problem
• may provide the models framework
• provides critical interaction with the visitors
  to the site

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Examples of Research Webs

• full sheet examples are attached to the end of
  the PowerPoint presentation

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Brookings Institution - http//www.brook.edu
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Center for Health Policy Research -
http//osu.com.okstate.edu/dept/chpr.htm
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Center for Health Services Research and
Development ECU - http//www.chsrd.med.ecu.edu/
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Center for Health Studies (GHC) -
http//www.ghc.org/chs/center.html
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Duke University Center for Health Policy, Law and
Management, Health Policy Cyberexchange -
http//www.hpolicy.duke.edu/cyberexchange/Whatpa.h
tm
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(No Transcript)
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Intergovernmental Health Policy Project -
http//www.ncsl.org/ihpp/
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RAND - http//www.rand.org/
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RUPRI - Rural Policy Research Institute -
http//www.rupri.org
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Who Produces Research Webs?

• academics
• foundations
• organizations
• commercial ventures

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The Perfect Research Web

• There are no perfect research Webs
• There are some good research Webs
• There are few outstanding research Webs
• The vast majority of research Webs are in need of
  help

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What Should You Expect to Find On A Research Web?

• content, content, content
• minimal site information
• specific site elements
• documents and document types
• information about projects being worked on
• evidence of quality (of the information)

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Content

• content is what brings viewers to your site
• so, what do you have on your site for viewers?
• remember that there are millions of Web pages
  all competing for peoples attention
• if you have no content, viewers are unlikely to
  return
• content needs to be constantly updated and
  refreshed

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What is Content?

• Useful information which can take many forms
• articles on relevant topics, news
• tidbits/facts
• raw data, tables and graphs
• graphics, speeches, newsletters
• organized hypertext links
• what can people take away from your site that
  will cause them to bookmark the site and return
  again and again?

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Required Site Elements

• Site Name
• URL and date of last revision to each page
• Contact information
• Physical Address
• Phone and FAX
• mailto
• Sponsor/s
• Affiliation

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Recommended Site Elements

• Overview/Mission statement
• Image Map (optional)
• Table of Contents
• Text-Only Option
• Site Search Engine
• Whats New
• Help Documentation
• Glossary of Terms Used

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Site Elements, continued...

• Staff Listing
• Staff Biosketches
• Staff CVs
• Listserver
• Job Opportunities
• Location
• Conferences, Training or Seminars

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Site Elements, continued...

• Projects
• Anonymous FTP server
• Links to Similar (Related) Sites
• Links to Sponsor / Parent Sites
• Email Comments Link (mailto)
• Comments Encouraged Statement
• View Site Comments Option (optional)
• Other Feedback/Interaction

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Overview/Mission Statement

• a statement of what the site is all about
• why the work the researchers are doing is
  important
• why visiting the site is important in terms of
  the information youll find at the site
• see Appendix B for examples

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Image Map (Clickable Image)

• a picture or image which has clickable (with
  hyperlinked) sections
• not an absolute requirement
• back up with text for non-graphics browsers
• can be a detriment if it takes forever to load

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Graphics, Tables, Java Stuff

• rule of thumb you lose 20 of your viewers for
  every 10 seconds it takes your page to load!
• keep graphics small and fast loading
• remember it also takes time for tables and lots
  of little figures and icons to load

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Table of Contents

• Model of Site
• also called a site map
• graphical or text format
• can combine a Table of Contents with an index for
  additional access points

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Text Only Option

• enables access for those folks with non-graphical
  browsers such as Lynx
• speeds up access to your information if you dont
  have to load graphics
• a must for those who insist on using frames
• otherwise youll lose everyone with 386s running
  Netscape 2.0

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Site Search Engine

• incorporating site-specific search engines
  enhances access to contents of your pages
• is important if your site is large
• but can be labor intensive to incorporate
• may require installation of search software
• requires advanced programming skills

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Whats New

• used to update occasional viewers
• can act as a diary for modifications and
  additions to the site
• a record of the site experiences

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Help Documentation

• the help document gets you through the site if
  you run into problems
• navigating the site
• Help understanding the content on the site
• Help with search engine (how to use it
  successfully)
• FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

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Glossary of Terms Used

• a glossary of terms should be a required element
  for a research Web
• a glossary defines the subject under study
• each discipline has its own vocabulary
• important for the public/policy makers to know
  what the researchers are talking about

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Glossary and Definitions, continued...

• most research Webs include researchers from
  different disciplines
• the vocabulary each uses helps to define the
  research problem
• having a glossary means everyone involved in the
  project understands the problem being researched

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Staff Listing

• all staff should be listed, current and past
• other personnel, including non researchers,
  should also be included

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Contact Information

• for overall site
• for WebMaster

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Staff Biosketches

• biosketches give a brief introduction to the
  staff
• outline current projects and interests
• provides credibility and humanity to the
  researchers

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Staff CVs

• show what the researchers have done in the past
• CVs dont have to be exactly the same as the ones
  used for tenure and promotion
• but should give some idea of the EXPERTISE of
  each person
• do not include SSN or home addresses

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Job Opportunities with the Project

• list all levels of staffing needs from RA on up
• use abbreviated descriptions with links to longer
  position descriptions
• remove old positions or indicate that they have
  been filled

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Location

• how to find the physical location of the site
• written description and/or map is very useful
• nothing drives a visitor crazy like not being
  able to find your operation

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Conferences, Training or Seminars

• enable the dissemination of research information
  to policy makers and the lay public
• keep old seminars on the site in a searchable
  archive for historical purposes
• important for policy makers who may have attended
  a seminar out of interest, but now need to
  contact the speaker

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Conferences, continued...

• conferences and seminars also provide the viewer
  with a sense of the expertise of the researchers

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Projects

• should be links to all the projects past and
  present
• description should make it possible to contact
  the researchers who worked on a project
• Total number of projects
• Sub-Projects list with links
• Project notes

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Anonymous FTP Server

• provides viewer with access to your documents via
  FTP

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Links to Similar (Related) Sites

• should be way down on the bottom of your home
  page, not near the top
• you want folks to STAY at your site as long as
  possible to explore YOUR information
• links to other sites are a lot of work to maintain

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Links to Sponsor / Parent Sites

• Support from outside sources, if any
• link to those agencies which support the
  project/s
• the purpose of acknowledging your source of
  funding is obvious

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Email Comments Link

• Feedback mechanism (for sending email with
  questions, etc) is really important
• use a mailto hypertext link on EVERY page
• folks will tell you whats wrong with your site
  and whats right
• comments should be encouraged
• some sites enable you to view site comments
  written by others

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Other Feedback/Interaction

• mailtos on each page
• mailtos enable the person who drops in rather
  than entering through your home page
• to email questions
• to request additional information
• to provide his/her expertise to the question
  being discussed

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Other Possibilities

• survey instruments and questionnaires
• include the methodology used on the questionnaires

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Comments

• one of the key uses of a Website is to share
  information with others
• most survey instruments rarely get published in
  the resulting research papers
• making them available on the research Web enables
  others to see what youve done and, with your
  permission, reuse or adapt an existing survey

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Comments

• critical review of material on your site is
  essential in research
• comments can be used to improve the site and the
  research being done
• collaboration is a key function of a research Web

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Products/Publications List (generated by project)

• newsletter/journal
• FAQs
• abstracts
• bibliographies
• full-text books and articles
• these all market your project to policy makers
• also establish credibility with policy makers

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Newsletters

• if you publish a paper newsletter, make part or
  all of the newsletter available for folks to read
• newsletters are a real drawing card for Web
  surfers
• newsletters can be used to blow your own horn

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Document Types Available

• Bibliographies without Abstracts
• Bibliographies with Abstracts
• Full-Text Articles on Site
• Hypertext Links to offsite articles
• Hyper-Bibliographies (bibs with hyperlinks)
• Glossaries
• Text Books (online/onsite)

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Document Types, continued...

• Reference Books (online/onsite)
• Sample/Preview Web Documents
• Full-Text Web Documents
• Appendices
• Electronic Files (pdf, doc, ppt)
• Free Access to Limited Documents (restricted)
• Feedback for Individual Documents

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A Word About Full Text Documents

• increasingly, funding agencies are requesting
  that reports be made widely available to everyone
  who has an interest in the research
• plan from the beginning to make all possible
  reports accessible in a variety of formats

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Document Formats

• HTML
• Text
• PowerPoint
• PDF
• Other formats such as Word, WordPerfect, XLS

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File Retrieval Formats

• HTTP
• primary method of retrieving files
• Anonymous FTP
• another method of getting files

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Affiliation

• university
• Project or Individuals Research Web
• government agency
• reputable organization/commercial entity

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Conferences, Training or Seminars

• of interest to researchers in the issue or
  problem area
• links can be on your own site
• can add a link to a conference site
• another method of demonstrating credibility of
  content and staff

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Collaboration/Coordination site

• some research Webs exist only to provide a
  structure to other research sites
• the best example of this is the Tree of Life site
• http//phylogeny.arizona.edu/tree/phylogeny.html
• this site organizes all existing research Webs
  investigating all aspects of life on earth

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Collaboration, continued...

• researchers from outside the University of AZ
  include their work on the Tree of Life site
• the site also links to other sites around the
  world
• all sites will eventually be peer reviewed
• this is definitely an ambitious long term project

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Site Content
Least developed

• brochure
• basic
• under development
• substantive

Most developed
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Date Site Updated

• needs to be refreshed on a regular basis,
• you should determine if the site is static or
  dynamic before you use the data

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Methodology

• Are any methodologies discussed on the site?
• Is the methodology formalized (i.e., tested
  sufficiently for use by reader?)
• is the methodology understandable to policy
  analysts?
• If not, is there a summary available?

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Organization and Structure of the Project

• site should be easy to use and understand
• the structure should be logical and easy to drill
  down to information and get back to the home page

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Privacy and Confidentiality

• Many research Webs are password protected
• within the protected site special information can
  be mounted
• in-progress papers can be commented on prior to
  print publication (DocReview)
• meeting notes from closed meetings or not yet
  approved minutes
• research ideas under development
• contact information of a more sensitive nature
• other kinds of private information

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Identity Crisis Where Am I?

• one of the biggest problems visitors to your site
  have to face is Where am I?
• people dont usually enter through your home page
• generally they know how they got to your site
• URL provided by a colleague
• search engine
• but once at a page, how do they align/orient
  themselves?

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How Do You Prevent Confusion?

• how do you make it clear to the viewer who you
  are?
• banner or logo on EACH page
• the logo can act as the link back to the home
  page if you want
• link back to your home page
• structure of the site should be obvious
• links to related topics (on your site)
• also called cross-linking

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Structure

• use the same icons on every page to provide a
  navigation toolbar
• the toolbar can open all the categories and
  subcategories
• can move you seamlessly through the site if
  properly done

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The Intranet

• the Intranet is where researchers keep
• works in progress
• e.g., papers being written or reviewed by others
  on the project
• usually the largest part of the Intranet
• private or confidential information
• agendas, schedules and minutes of meetings
• listserv
• anonymous FTP for storage and transmission of
  files

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What Not to Do on a Research Web

• USE FRAMES!!!!!!!
• USE LARGE or BLINKING GRAPHICS
• FORGET TO URL EACH PAGE
• FORGET TO DATE EACH PAGE EACH TIME YOU WORK ON IT
• FORGET A MAILTO
• DONT USE A LOGO

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A Word about Frames

• you cant cite a framed page unless you know the
  secret
• you cant print a framed page (only the frame
  selected)
• you have to build a second, text only site, to
  accommodate low version browsers
• Frames are NOT HTML 3.2 compliant

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More Words about Frames

• sometimes Web search engines have trouble with
  frames
• they increase the load time of your site
• they add another level of complexity to your site
  (design and navigation)
• most readers dont like them

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Appendix A Examples of Research Webs

• Attached at end of the handouts

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Appendix B Partial List of Research Webs

• visit the Website listed below for the rest of
  the list
• http//weber.u.washington.edu/hsic/research/proce
  ss/reswebs.html

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Appendix C Quality Issues

• Relevance
• Purpose
• Authority
• Quality of Authors and publisher
• Quality of Presentation (design)
• Quality of Utility (can you use the site easily?)

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Quality, continued...

• Quality of Content
• Recognition
• Source http//gateway.lib.ohio-state.edu/tutor/le
  s1guide.html

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Relevance

• Does this site provide the type of information I
  need?
• use a sitemap or table of contents (TOC)
• a TOC enables you to scope out the information on
  the site fast so that you can zero in on just the
  information you need
• folks will only stay a few seconds determining
  this
• if they cant find it right away, well, there are
  millions of other sites to look at

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Purpose

• is there a statement of purpose or mission
  statement?
• Is the intent of the site to sell you something?
  Inform you? Explain something or persuade you?
  Provide news or other information?

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Authority - Authors Authority

• what are the author(s) credentials and are they
  listed anywhere?
• expertise of staff is determined through the
  contact information, biosketches, CVs, resume
• Who is the site affiliated with? Sponsors lend
  credibility
• Who is the publisher?

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Authority - Quality of Presentation

• is the site appealing?
• or does it flash at you annoyingly?
• do the background, fonts, or graphics distract
  you from the information?
• if it isnt appealing, youre not likely to visit
  again
• is the information on the site refreshed often?

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Authority - Quality of Utility

• is it easy to navigate through the site?
• how many mouse clicks do you have to press in
  order to move through the site
• recommend that 3-4 mouse clicks should link you
  with the information you want

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Content Quality and Accuracy (Bias??)

• importance of information
• who is paying for the site?
• she who pays the piper calls the tune!
• reliability/validity of the information
• are there links to other sites?
• Content on the research Web must be constantly
  refreshed and enhanced is it at this site?

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Content Coverage

• balanced presentation of information?
• are there important topics missing from the site?
• Is this an official or unofficial home page?
• If you dont do it, someone else will AND you
  might not like the results
• Is the information current?

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Content - Currency

• how old is the information?
• is the site being maintained?
• is the site being refreshed with new information?
• Look at the dates of last revision

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Recognition

• has the site been reviewed?
• Do other sites link to it?
• Do you keep running into a particular site when
  youre looking for specific kinds of information?
• this tells you that others find the information
  useful, too

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References

• Web Site Evaluation Techniques
• http//gateway.lib.ohio-state.edu/tutor/les1guide.
  html
• Web Site Evaluation Checklist
• http//gateway.lib.ohio-state.edu/tutor/les1checkl
  ist.html