interface effects on digital library credibility judgments
In digital library search engines, "no results found" is a misleading phrase because it masquerades as a definitive answer; in reality, the collection being searched may in fact contain content that matches a user's query. This research examines the effect of null result sets on search behavior and on the perception of contents in digital libraries. In particular, this research supports the hypothesis that interface and design flaws have an effect on the perceived authority and credibility (here defined in terms of being authentic, factual, trustworthy, scholarly, and accurate) of the information being communicated by the interface in question. In short, interface design and the "form" of information (or, alternatively, the messenger) can negatively impact the perception of the quality of the "content" of information (the message).
digital libraries credibility judgments no results found null result sets authority interface design messenger message usability