abstract:The article analyzes how researchers evaluate the quality of information in Internet e-mailing lists and whether the embeddedness of academic e-mailing lists in offline networks of a scientific community is related to it. The idea is that embeddedness gives researchers more opportunities to build up a reputation through contributing high-quality information to the group. Survey and archive data are used to test hypotheses about the effects of offline networks in 47 academic e-mailing lists used by a random sample of university researchers. Results indicate that the information in embedded online groups is regarded as more valuable than in purely virtual groups.

Results of an Investigation Conducted by Ithaka for the Association of Research Libraries