Which website has a tutorial for learning how to evaluate health information?

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Many websites provide valuable information.  Others may include information that is inaccurate, incomplete, or misleading. Carefully evaluate the information you find.

How can I tell if a website is trustworthy?

• Check the source. Who wrote it? What are the author's credentials? References given? 

• What is the purpose of the site? Who is the intended audience?

• Is the information current? Medical information must be current.

• Is the information clearly presented? Is it readable? Easy to understand?

• Links to other sites? A reputable organization will link to other sites for further information.

• Is the site selling something? Sound too good to be true? 

• Is there a "Contact Us" link?

Remember to Use Caution and Common Sense

• Never rely on just one source of information.

• Always try to verify information with other sources.

• Beware of outrageous claims or "miracle cures".

• Never follow medical advice you find on the Internet without first discussing it with your healthcare provider.

For more tips on finding reliable health information, go to nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/evaluatinghealthinformation

Visit the Health Information section of this Public Libraries Guide for selected quality health information resources. 

Tools to Evaluate Health Information

An enormous amount of health information is available online including the news, social media, and websites. It can be stressful and overwhelming trying to figure out what are good sources of information. Several tools to evaluate health information are available to help you and your patrons.

Evaluating Health Information
MedlinePlus provides a list of vetted resources all in one webpage.

Trust It or Trash It,
This tool provides 3 simple questions help to critically evaluate health information. The Genetic Alliance video tells you more. Though the date on the website is older, the information remains useful.

Find Good Health Information
The Medical Library Association includes information for patients and the public to help guide them in finding quality health information resources.

Health Misinformation Checklist
This handy checklist is part of the U.S. Surgeon General's Community Toolkit for Addressing Health Misinformation which is listed further down this webpage.

Online Health Information: Is It Reliable?
This NIH National Institute on Aging information webpage addresses websites, social media, apps, and more and is helpful for all ages.

How To Evaluate Health Information on the Internet: Questions and Answers
More than just a checklist, this NIH Office of Dietary Supplements fact sheet uses a Q&A format to address health information evaluation.

Finding and Evaluating Online Resources
The NIH National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health offers guidance starting off with what is most important to know and then provides more in-depth information as you scroll down the webpage. 

Health Misinformation Toolkit

The Surgeon General’s Community Toolkit for Addressing Health Misinformation provides specific guidance and resources for health care providers, educators, librarians, faith leaders, and trusted community members to understand, identify, and stop the spread of health misinformation in their communities. It includes:

• Lessons
• Activities
• Infographics
• Checklist to evaluate information
• Tips to talk to friends, family, and your community

Additional Information Evaluation Tools 

Note, some of these tools may focus more on students or researchers. However, they are still helpful to use for evaluating health information. 

Medical Library Association: A User's Guide to Finding and Evaluating Health Information on the Web - Learn how to evaluate a website and also find a listing of top consumer health sites.

MedlinePlus: Evaluating Health Information - Developed by the National Library of Medicine, here you will find a wealth of information to help you decide if a site is reliable.  Also look at:

• Health Fraud

National Cancer Institute: How to Find Cancer Resources You Can Trust - Here are some guidelines for determining whether or not a source is credible, as well as a short video from the Federal Trade Commission on cancer treatment scams.
Also in Spanish.

Weill Cornell Medicine, Samuel J. Wood Library:  Sanke Oil to Social Media, Drug Advertising & Your Health - This site will provide an overview of drug advertising, highlights drug interactions and safety issues, and provides questions to consider when viewing medication advertisements.

Interactive Tutorials / Videos

MedlinePlus Interactive Tutorial: Evaluating Internet Health Information - This interactive video is from the Patient Education Institute. Using animated graphics, the tutorial explains the subject in easy-to-read language. You can also listen to the tutorial. Note: The tutorial requires a special Flash plug-in and you will be prompted to obtain a free download of the software before you start the tutorial.

Trust It or Trash It - This is a tool to help you think critically about the quality of health information.

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