HED 32542 - Methods & Applications of Health Education: Home

Students are encouraged to employ a healthy skepticism when visiting any site and to use criteria, such as those below, to gather evidence on the quality of information on the web. See the box below for a form to use when evaluating websites. 

1. Authority: Who created the site?

• What is their authority?
• Do they have expertise or experience with the topic?
• What are their credentials, institutional affiliation?
• Is organizational information provided?
• Does the URL suggest a reputable affiliation with regard to the topic--personal or official site; type of Internet domain (i.e., .edu: educational institution; .org: non-profit organization; .com: commercial enterprise; .net: Internet Service Provider; .gov: governmental body; .mil: military body)?

2. Objectivity: Is the purpose and intention of the site clear, including any bias or particular viewpoint?

• Are the purpose and scope stated?
• Who is the intended audience?
• Is the information clearly presented as being factual or opinion, primary or secondary in origin?
• What criteria are used for inclusion of the information?
• Is any sponsorship or underwriting fully disclosed?

3. Accuracy: Is the information presented accurate?

• Are the facts documented or well-researched?
• Are the facts similar to those reported in related print or other online sources
• Are the Web resources for which links are provided quality sites?

4. Currency: Is the information current?

• Is the content current?
• Are the pages date-stamped with last update?

5. Usability: Is the site well-designed and stable?

• Is the site organization logical and easy to maneuver?
• Is the content written at a level that is readable by the intended audience?
• Has attention been paid to presenting the information as error-free (e.g., spelling, punctuation) as possible?
• Is there a readily identifiable link back to the institutional or organizational home page? Is the site reliably accessible?