Handbook of Research on Web Information System Quality

Citation

Anh Tran, L. (2008), "Handbook of Research on Web Information System Quality", Online Information Review, Vol. 32 No. 3, pp. 457-458. https://doi.org/10.1108/14684520810889754

Over the last decade, parallel with the implementation of web applications the quality of web information systems (WISs) has been considered an essential factor for business success in organisations. Such systems have been used for two purposes:

1. 1.

   to provide services to clients in which the quality of web applications ensures quality services and helps ensure the loyalty of users; and

2. 2.

   to make deals from the user's viewpoint in which quality is essential to empower clients to achieve their objectives.

This handbook focuses on quality, an essential factor in the implementation of WISs. It states that the evaluation of systems quality must be considered as important as the development of WISs. The content is represented by 30 research papers (one paper per chapter) on the quality of WISs. All chapters are categorised into four sections.

Section 1 includes eight research papers (Chapters 1‐8) on effort and quality assessment. It examines different approaches to assessing information system quality. Initially, it introduces the concepts and surveys literature on web development effort estimation (Chapters 1‐2). Next, it discusses and analyses various patterns and approaches to assessing the quality of WISs, evaluation of the effectiveness of web sites, anomaly detection of web applications, and data quality models for web portals (Chapters 3‐8). Specifically, such quality models have been developed based on the foundation of three key factors:

1. 1.

   a set of web data quality attributes;

2. 2.

   data quality expectations of data consumers via the internet; and

3. 3.

   the functionalities of a web portal.

Moving to Section 2, the next seven papers (Chapters 9‐15) focus on the investigation of accessibility and usability. Regarding accessibility, Chapters 10‐12 study the concepts of web accessibility in the relation to the quality of WISs; compare 15 different approaches for assessing web accessibility; and explore special requirements of accessibility through user‐centred interface design. Regarding usability, the next three chapters (13‐15) propose a quality model for tproduct characterisation of the web; explore and illustrate the emerging usability evaluation models of WISs; and provide guidelines for web usability and solutions in web engineering. Chapter 9, in this section presents the specifications and characteristics of both the accessibility and usability of web‐based applications.

Section 3 approaches technical issues around Metadata. This longest section offers the ten chapters (16‐25) with a strong focus on metadata, Metadata Extraction, metamodels and ontologies. It starts with four chapters (16‐19) which analyse the concepts and issues of metadata as new approaches to “portletisation” of web applications. Next, it discusses the uses, procedures and techniques of metamodels in web requirements and presents a strategy and various meta methods for evaluating metadata models on the quality WISs (Chapters 20‐23). Finally, the next two chapters (24‐25) explore an ontology for the Web Services for Remote Portlets, standards and a philosophy of architecture design in WISs.

The last section discusses two main topics, search engine and information (Chapters 26‐30). This reports on various methods, criteria and perspectives for improving the quality of web search engines; discusses the theories, technologies and architectures pertaining to web searching; and explains web information resources quality.

The general editors are all senior Spanish academics, with interests in database maintenance and reengineering, advanced databases, software quality and assessment, software metrics, security and system audit and software maintenance. Muñoz, Moraga, and Piattini have done an excellent job in compiling and moderating the content of this volume. Most chapters are suitably detailed and clearly focused on their specific topics; they are also well organised. Sections are well introduced and clearly summarised.

This handbook contains comprehensive resources that address a series of important topics and cover main trends in WISs research. These topics can be useful for software engineering researchers and practitioners to help improve their knowledge and understanding of the quality of WISs.