Measuring Trust Perception during Information Evaluation

Trust perception is the reason for information use. Researchers defined trust perception through experiments to understand the factors that shape it. The factors that shape trust perception are proven to be reliable and valid through measurement. The study measured the reliability and validity of Trust Perception and Information Use during online information evaluation and the relationship between the two. With fifty-one academic librarians participating in a user study, this research aims to measure the reliability and validity of Trust Perception and Use using PLS-SEM and SmartPLS software. The measurement model and structural model assessment results show that the five indicators are reliable and valid to support Trust Perception as a construct, while Information Use is a single item. The relationship of both constructs is positively significant. The study’s result contributes Trust Perception construct and its indicators for evaluating informational websites provided by non-education institutions. Content designers may consider the indicators of trust perception as they design a website’s content. Researchers may use trust perception’s construct and indicators to relate them with other website factors to understand factors affecting user trust.