Know if the information I find is credible?
Web Site Evaluation
WARNING: If is sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Remember, anyone, regardless of his/her qualifications (or lack thereof) can put up an internet page. There are no rules stating what kind of health information can be put on the Internet or who puts it there. The quality, accuracy and timeliness of the information you find are not guaranteed. Use these guides to determine the quality of the information you find on the Internet.
- Look for web sites written by a person, institution, or organization which you already trust.
- Government Agencies, academic or medical institution and scientific journals or books are generally good places to start.
- If possible, get information from more than one source so that you get several different points of view to help you make the decisions that affect your medical care.
- Look for a clearly stated purpose, author or editorial board and source of funding on the web site. Who wrote the site, what are they trying to do, and how is this being paid for?
- If there is advertising on the site, it should be clearly set apart from the information.
- To ensure you are looking at current information, look for dates on a web site that show when the site was first placed on the Internet, and when the page was last reviewed or revised.
- Medical facts and figures should have references, and sources of facts should be clearly listed.
- Opinions and advice should be clearly set apart from information that is “evidence-based” (that is, based on research).
- Look for a privacy statement. If a site asks you to register, do they tell you what they will and won’t do with that information?
For more information on evaluating web sites, visit the following web pages:
Evaluating Web Sites: Criteria and ToolsA website designed by the Olin & Uris Libraries at Cornell University.
QUICK site: the Quality Information Checklist
Evaluating Web ResourcesThis website comes from the Widener University's Wolfgram Memorial Library. It has special checklists that apply for different types of web pages, such as advocacy, business/marketing/news web pages, informational and personal web pages.