The "What's Real and What's Not"? A How-To Guide for Selecting Reliable Websites

When using online websites to get information about your health, you will first want to know that the information is current and accurate.  To start with, look for the person or organization who created the website and what their purpose is. This should be clearly stated with more information under the “About Us” tab, which is usually found on the bottom of the webpage.  

Here are some good questions to ask yourself when selecting websites:

• Do the website creators show where their information comes from?  
• Are current dates posted on articles?  
• Is the information written by doctors and other medical specialists?  
• Do they make amazing or unbelievable claims?

The next step is to look for the last three letters of the website address.

These may either be ".org", ".gov", ".edu", or ".com".  

Most online information can be trusted if it comes from a website ending in .org, .gov, or .edu.  The information from these three websites comes from non-profit organizations, governmental agencies, or from universities, respectively.  If the website ends in .com, however, this means that the website is commercial-based and the information that it provides is likely biased or is designed to sell you something.  It therefore may not provide you with the most accurate information.

Examples of Reliable Websites

(click on each logo to be redirected to website)

 

Examples of Unreliable Websites

(click on each logo to be redirected to website)

Finally, if you are asked to enter personal information into the website in order to create an account or to receive email notices, then read through the “Privacy Policy” located on the bottom of the page to see how the website protects your information or who they may share your information with.