title: Brief report: consistency of search engine rankings for autism websites.
abstract: The World Wide Web is one of the most common methods used by parents to find information on autism spectrum disorders and most consumers find information through search engines such as Google or Bing. However, little is known about how the search engines operate or the consistency of the results that are returned over time. This study presents the results of analyses of searches from 2009, 2010, and 2011 for information on autism. We found that over time, consumers are likely to have different search experiences yielding different results, and we urge consumers to use caution when using the World Wide Web to obtain information on autism.
authors.affiliation: Yale Child Study Center, 230 South Frontage Road, New Haven, CT 06519, USA. brian.reichow@yale.edu
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Reichow
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Naples
authors.forename: Timothy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Steinhoff
authors.forename: Jason
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Halpern
authors.forename: Fred R
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Volkmar
mesh_terms: D001321:Autistic Disorder; D006801:Humans; D007255:Information Services / Q000592:standards*; D020407:Internet / Q000592:standards*; D057386:Search Engine / Q000592:standards*