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Medicine subject guide - Links
Evaluating Internet health sites
Introduction and Library links | Reliability | Scope | Currency | Accuracy | Commercialism | Design | More sites
Introduction and Library links
All literature you find on the web needs to be carefully evaluated before using it. The evaluation guidelines below are not exhaustive. They are intended as a starting point for you to consider ways to access what it is you find on the Internet.
There are some excellent books that cover this area in great depth. Further reading can be found from the University of Sydney Library Catalogue.
Some recommended subject headings on the University of Sydney Library Catalogue are:
Reliability
Medical or health information provided and/or hosted on a site should only be given by medically trained and qualified professionals. A clear statement must be made that a piece of advice offered is from a non-medically qualified individual or organisation whenever that is the case.
Consider these questions:
Can you be sure that the information is reliable?
Who publishes the web page?
Who do the authors work for?
What are their credentials?
Are they accredited or endorsed by a reputable organisation?
How does the information fit in with what you already know?
How much does the Web site rely on graphics to distract you from the text?
Can you find a bibliography? Do the sources seem scholarly?
Scope
Every site has an intended audience and that will determine the scope. The site will be written around meeting the needs of who the intended audience is.
Consider these questions:
Who is the intended audience?
What time period or geographical area is covered?
Is there a cultural bias?
Is the information a subset of a more comprehensive source?
If so, who abridged it and why?
Currency
For medical needs old information may be worthless or even damaging to your research (unless you are specifically researching historical material).
Consider these questions:
What is the date on the web page?
Has it been recently updated?
Does timeliness matter to your research?
Is some of the information obviously out of date?
Accuracy
The accuracy of the information is of paramount importance, but how can you tell if the facts are true or distorted opinions? Be constantly aware that "facts" are often interpretations and used to forward an argument. Even empirical data.
Consider these questions:
Are the facts that are known to you reliable?
Is the coverage objective?
If not, is the bias clearly stated?
What is conspicuously missing (if anything)?
Are the sources of the facts given?
Do statistics come from reliable sources?
Commercialism
All web sites are created for a purpose. Some of these include information, entertainment, education or profit. A vast portion of the web is used for commercial purposes and these sites need to be scrutinised before using the information in research because the trustworthiness of information may be affected by the motivation of the person or group sponsoring the Web page.
Consider these questions:
Is the presenter selling something (a product or an idea)?
Does the page have a corporate sponsor?
What does the author get out of it? A laugh, a job, joy?
What does the purpose tell you about the reliability of the information?
Are there hidden costs?
Design
A good design is one which makes the site transparent enough for you to find your information quickly and efficiently. Poorly designed web sites often reflect dubious quality medical information and so some analysis of the overall design is of some value.
Consider these questions:
Is the site logically and intuitively arranged?
Is the homepage concise and easy to understand?
Is the text easy to read?
Do all the pages include familiar elements that allow you to easily navigate around the site?
More sites
BIOME: How to Evaluate an Internet-based Information Source
The site includes a summary of key evaluation questions.
How to critically analyse information sources
Produced by Cornell University, USA
Health on the Net Foundation
Principles of the HON Code of Conduct for medical and health websites.
What to look for in a website
Produced by the University of Michigan Library, USA.