The importance of a Web page is an inherently subjective matter, which depends on the readers interests, knowledge and attitudes. But there is still much that can be said objectively about the relative importance of Web pages. This paper describes PageRank, a method for rating Web pages objectively and mechanically, effectively measuring the human interest and attention devoted to them. We compare PageRank to an idealized random Web surfer. We show how to efficiently compute PageRank for large numbers of pages. And, we show how to apply PageRank to search and to user navigation.

The importance of a Web page is an inherently subjective matter, which depends on the readers interests, knowledge and attitudes. But there is still much that can be said objectively about the relative importance of Web pages. This paper describes PageRank, a method for rating Web pages objectively and mechanically, effectively measuring the human interest and attention devoted to them. We compare PageRank to an idealized random Web surfer. We show how to efficiently compute PageRank for large numbers of pages. And, we show how to apply PageRank to search and to user navigation.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a set of criteria that can be used accurately and reliably by the general public (consumer) to assess the quality of health information on the Internet. We would like groups interested in this issue to contribute and become part of this effort. “We ” represents all contributors to the development of this document. We have identified, thanks to the effort of many individuals and organizations, a robust set of criteria that can help define the quality of the health information of an Internet website. The next step is to take these criteria and to develop them into criteria that can be used by the consumer of health information on the Internet. This will be the focus of the October 17, 1997 meeting at the Health Information Technology Institute of Mitretek Systems, Inc. Remember, this is a working draft that is expected to undergo a series of significant edits. The up-dated time line shown below highlights where we are in the process and the planned activities for improving the document. Since we will continue to post improved drafts, please note the Edit Date of this document.