Applying informetric methods to empirically assess the authoritativeness of Health Canada electronic documents Frank Lambert * Faculty of Information and Media Studies, University of Western Ontario, 255 Middlesex College, London, ON, Canada N6A 5B7 Available online 28 May 2004 Abstract Government publications have long been considered authoritative sources of information regardless of the format [electronic via the World Wide Web (WWW) or paper] they are published in and with little consideration as to how they are researched, written, and published. Given the greater accessibility that the WWW provides the public to this very important source of information on a wide variety of subjects, assessing authoritativeness becomes a bigger and more difficult issue. This preliminary study applies informetric methods, specifically citation analysis, to assess whether the blind trust afforded government publications is appropriate in an important area of public policy that, particularly in Canada, is seen almost as a natural right of citizenship, public health care. The results of this study show that this trust is not misplaced as these publications are well researched and, with or without references, are used without discrimination. D 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Regardless of where someone lives, the overall health and wellness of one’s being, and that of friends and family, can usually be considered one of the most important issues that a person faces on a daily basis during their natural life. In Canada in particular, where citizens greatly appreciate the advantages that a public health care system can afford, health is not only an issue of one’s well-being but also, by extension, an important aspect of political culture and the application of public policy. This becomes more noticeable in a federal system such as Canada’s where the federal government, through Health Canada, is responsible in ensuring 0740-624X/$ – see front matter D 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.giq.2004.04.001 * Fax: +1-519-661-3506. E-mail address: fplamber@uwo.ca. Government Information Quarterly 21 (2004) 305 – 318