Name
Website/webpage title and topic
Date
Copy and paste webpage URL
1. Checking out a health website: Five quick questions*
If you’re visiting a health website for the first time, these five quick questions can help you
decide whether the site is a helpful resource:
Who? Who runs the website? Can you trust them?
What? What does the site say? Do its claims seem too good to be true?
When? When was the information posted or reviewed? Is it up-to-date?
Where? Where did the information come from? Is it based on scientific research?
Why? Why does the site exist? Is it selling something?
*From the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM).
2. For a more detailed evaluation, complete this score sheet, giving each item a 0-4 rating
(4 = highest rating)**:
Authority (Who)
Can you easily find information about the publisher of the website? (Look for an “About
Us” tab. Is it hard to find?)
Can the publisher/organization’s name and contact information be found easily on each
webpage? (Look for a “Contact Us” tab. Is it hard to find?)
Is the author of the information/article clearly identified (e.g., “XY Clinic staff” or “J.J.
Smith, MD)? For individual authors, can you find full author name, credentials, and
background, and do you think the credentials and background represent adequate
expertise on the topic?
Accuracy (What/Where)
To the best of your knowledge, does the information appear accurate?
Is there an explanation of the research method used to gather data?
Are sources cited or credited for the information?
Objectivity (Why)
Does the publisher/author/organization provide a clear statement of purpose?
Does it appear that a sincere effort was made to present unbiased and complete
information appropriate to cover the topic? Are there significant omissions?
Is sponsorship acknowledged?
Currency (When)
Is there a date stamp showing when the webpage was last updated?
Is the information current/up-to-date?
Do all the links work? (Is the site being maintained?)
Design/Usability (How)
Is the site organized clearly? Can you easily find the information you are looking for? Is
there a search option? Are pages clearly labeled?
Is the site professional looking? Are graphics helpful and not overly distracting or
amateurish? Are webpages free of typos and other writing problems?
Can the site be accessed reliably? Is loading time satisfactory?
0
TOTAL SCORE (add up all the above scores)
55-60
Excellent. (This website is a reliable, valid source of information.)
48-54
Good
40-47
Fair
<40
Poor
**Adapted from “Criteria for Evaluating Websites” (University of Washington Health Sciences Libraries) and
from “Consumer Health Website Evaluation Checklist,” P. F. Anderson, University of Michigan.
Comments: What is your overall impression of the website? Do you find it trustworthy? What is
most helpful about the site? What is least helpful? Would you return to the website for information in
the future? Would you recommend the site to others? Why or why not?
Checklist produced by the Alaska Medical Library, UAA/APU Consortium Library, October 2013