Evaluation of Health Information on the World Wide Web Tutorial

Section 2: Currency and Content

• When was the information first written? When did it first appear on the web? When was it last updated? Is there information which suggests that it is actively being updated? When was the information last revised/ modified?
• Is there advertising? Is the advertising easily distinguishable from the content? Does the advertising affect the ease of usage of the information?
• Are there links to other sites? Are the links relevant to the information? Have the links been evaluated? Do the links work? Have some links expired or moved?
• Are there links to information about the author/organisation? Please note that the author or organisation responsible for the site have usually chosen the links for a reason.
• Is the site stable through time?
• How does the content compare to traditional sources or other reputable sources of information? Can the background information be verified? Is there supportive evidence?
• Are the sources of facts provided?
• Do the statistics come from reliable sources? Are these cited? Are all sources of information documented/cited and included in a bibliography? Can the sources provided be verified?
• What are the assumptions of the authors, and yours?
• How do the research methods stand up? Is the information corroborated? You should use other information to test the information given - usually three other sources.
• Is the content complete? There should be no deliberate omission of important facts, qualifications, alternatives or consequences that may mislead the reader, or result in the site being intentionally deceptive.
• Is there good grammar and spelling? Does the tone and style of the writing also reflect competency? Most educated people use grammar relatively well and usually check their work for spelling mistakes.
• Is the language calm and reasoned and is the information presented in a balanced and thoughtful manner? Most truths are ordinary, so be aware of excessive claims. Emotional or vague language can indicate opinion or propaganda rather than fact.