Evaluating Health Information on the Internet

In this assignment you will critically evaluate a web site of your choice that provides
information on a health-related topic of interest to you. I would suggest Googling a topic
we will be covering in class this semester OR another you would like to learn more about.
Select a single web site to review and evaluate.

You may review a site that provides information or one that sells or recommends some sort
of health-related program or product. You can find some that are really pretty
questionable and obviously less credible than others, and it is fine to choose one of those
and explain why you wouldn’t trust this source or use this program/product! The goal of
this assignment is to get some practice evaluating sources of information on the Web.

Paragraph 1- Site Description (4 points)

Give the name and web address of the site you are reviewing and describe in detail what
type of information you are able to access there; how it is organized; and whether or not it
is easy to navigate / visually appealing. (You are describing the site to someone who has
not seen it!)

Paragraph 2 – Evaluation of the Site’s Credibility (4 points)

Explain why you feel this site is a credible or non-credible source of information, based
on the criteria listed on pg. 16 of your textbook, Surfing for the Latest in Health and/or
in the Guide to Healthy Web-Surfing (published by Medline Plus) whose link you can find on
Canvas in the Chapter 1 Module. As described in these 2 sources, include at least 4 points
of information such as:

o Who or what organization publishes the site? What credentials/professional

training do they possess?
o Is the goal of the site to provide information or to sell you something – or
both?
o Is the information current? How often is the site updated?
o Is this information backed by research, and if so, who did that research?
o Does the information presented seem credible to you, or “too good to be
true”? Would you trust this source – why/why not?
o Is there a “contact us” section?

This paper should be single-spaced in a font of 12 and saved in a .doc, .docx, or .pdf
format. It does not need to be extremely lengthy (typically 1-2 pages), but you should
address all the criteria suggested above. Submit your paper online through the
Assignment page on Canvas.