The Presence of Universities on the Internet: the Digital Divide Between The United States and the Rest of the World

The dissemination of the results of research is fundamental for the advancement of science, therefore, the statements on open access of Budapest (2002), Bethesda (2003) and Berlin (2003), as well as consequent events, are the foundations that motivate universities to take a stand on the Internet. The new technologies favour online publishing and immediate perception, but a major division has formed in the digital world. This is clear in the ranking produced by Webometrics every six months. Here, the January 2007 results are studied and the classification of the featured countries is revised. It is important to consider a series of questions. What parameters are used for the ranking? What implications do the results have? What strategies can be used to increase presence? When will a university be included in the ranking? What can countries and institutions do to get classified?