If you’re visiting a health website for the first time, these five quick questions can help you decide whether the site is a helpful resource.
Who? Who runs the Web site? Can you trust them?
What? What does the site say? Do its claims seem too good to be true?
When? When was the information posted or reviewed? Is it up-to-date?
Where? Where did the information come from? Is it based on scientific research?
Why? Why does the site exist? Is it selling something?
(Source: National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health)
When viewing health information online, it is important to be critical and properly evaluate the information.
Ownership: Who pays for the website? What is the purpose of the website?
Check the domain name at the end of the URL to identify the type of website. The domain name can indicate source of funding
.gov belongs to governmental organization
.edu is associated with education, such as a university
.org used by non-profit organizations
.com often run by for-profit companies
Look for well-known health institutions such as schools, professional organizations, and healthcare sites
Look for information such as “about us” or mission statements to determine the source of funding
Determine whether the purpose of the website is to sell a product, provide a service, or raise money
Content: What is the source of the information? Is it biased? Is it out of date?
Evaluate the credibility of information by looking at who published it, who the authors are, and if it is peer reviewed
Is it based on scientific research? Medical and scientific information should have references, such as citations from journals
If information is from a scientific or academic journal, can you determine anything about the publication? If studies or experiments are mentioned, look for details, such as the type of study, the size, whether it was statistically significant, whether it has been successfully replicated, and what the limitations of the study were
Does it make unsubstantiated claims? Does what’s presented seem too good to be true? Does it rely on personal stories and anecdotal information?
Opinion, advice, and anecdotal inforomation, and testimonials should be clearly separate from evidence based information
Check to make sure that the information is current and up-to- date, ideally no more than 2-3 years old. The date may be available at the bottom of the page