KHS 110: Health Science

It is important to be critical of health information found on the web. When you locate a health website, you first need to evaluate the resource to determine if the information is trustworthy.

Questions used to evaluate a website:

• Who created the information? Is there an "about us" page?
• When was the web page created? Or do you know when it was last updated?
• Does the information come from medical research? Are sources cited?
• Can you tell who funds the web page?

For a more detailed checklist, MedlinePlus has a Guide to Healthy Web Surfing

Also, the tool Trust It or Trash It can help you think critically about the quality of health information found on websites, handouts, booklets, and more.

Use these questions to determine whether the source is credible. Many websites are not "good" or "bad," but somewhere in the middle. These questions will help you decide whether the website is trustworthy.

Who created it?

• Can you tell who wrote or created the content?
• Is there an "about us" page?
• Are they an expert on the topic? How can you tell if they're an expert? [Hint: Google their name to see if you can find out anything else.]

When was it created?

• When was the web page created? Or do you know when it was last updated?
• Was it published recently? Can you tell how old the information is? [Hint: For some topics, this is very important.]

Who sponsors the information?

• Can you tell who funds the web page?
• What can you tell about the organization sponsoring the information?
• Do they have any conflicts of interest? [Hint: Google the organization to see if you can find any other information about them.]

Is it relevant?

• Is the information relevant to your topic or assignment? 
• What is the purpose of the website or information? Entertainment? Education? Something else?