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User assumptions about information retrieval systems: ethical concerns

Information professionals, whether designers, intermediaries, database producers or vendors, bear some responsibility for the information that they make available to users of information systems. The users of such systems may tend to make many assumptions about the information that a system provides, such as believing: that the data are comprehensive, current and accurate; that the information resources or databases have same degree of quality and consistency of indexing; that the abstracts, if they exist, correctly and adequately reflect the content of the article; that there is consistency in forms of author names or journal titles or indexing within and across databases; that there is standardization in and across databases; that once errors are detected, they are corrected; that appropriate choices of databases or information resources are a relatively easy matter, etc. The truth is that few of these assumptions are valid in commercial or corporate or organizational databases. However, given these beliefs and assumptions by many users, often promoted by information providers, information professionals, if possible, should intervene to warn users about the limitations and constraints of the databases they are using. With the growth of the Internet and end-user products, (e.g., CD-ROMs), such interventions have significantly declined. In such cases, information should be provided on start-up or through interface screens, indicating to users, the constraints and orientation of the system they are using. The principle of “caveat emptor” is naive and socially irresponsible: information professionals or systems have an obligation to provide some framework or context for the information that users are accessing.