StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

EVALUATING A WEBSITE FOR CREDIBILITY - Assignment Example

Cite this document
Summary
Critical Website Evaluation University Name Critical Website Evaluation Using Google to search for “health resources for nurses” returned a result for a listing of NM/LM web references, one of which was http://nccam.nih.gov. This is the website for the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine [NCCAM]…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER94.1% of users find it useful
EVALUATING A WEBSITE FOR CREDIBILITY
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "EVALUATING A WEBSITE FOR CREDIBILITY"

Critical Website Evaluation Critical Website Evaluation Using Google to search for “health resources for nurses” returned a result for a listing of NM/LM web references, one of which was http://nccam.nih.gov. This is the website for the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine [NCCAM]. Since this website is for one of the subsidiary departments of the National Institutes of Health, it can be assumed that health professionals may make use of this site in their work. Additionally, other health websites may use governmental sites as a guide to providing information on their own sites.

Therefore, analyzing the apparent credibility is important to the safety of medical practice and medical resources on the Internet. Nurses specifically should be able to evaluate the credibility of a website as they are often the first and last point of contact for a patient with questions about their medical health. Referencing a patient to a known safe and helpful website, such as http://nccam.nih.gov can help a patient feel informed about their condition and its treatment. This website would generally be considered to be an authoritative source since it carries a .

gov suffix. This suffix indicates that it is a website that operates as part of the United States government. Not only is it a website carrying the name of the United States government, it is part of the website system for the National Institutes of Health, giving it weight in areas of health and medicine. The website's home page clearly identifies the NCCAM as the organization responsible for the site, as well as labeling the National Institutes of Health as the parent organization. At the bottom of every page is the physical address and phone number for the organization, as well as their logo, a major point in figuring credibility and bias (Rabjohn, Cheung, & Lee, 2008).

All their pages are dated with the last time the page was updated, and research articles, such as the one found at http://nccam.nih.gov/research/results/spotlight/011011.htm clearly state the author's name and affliation. NCCAM is an organization designed to propagate information about complementary medicine, so obviously the articles on the site focus on that topic. Despite this, the site does offer information both supporting and detracting from various alternative medical treatments, as seen at http://nccam.nih.gov/research/results/.

Research papers are presented regardless of their findings or the author's(s') stance on the treatments, making the site a valuable source of unbiased information (Rabjohn, Cheung, & Lee, 2008). The text is plain and readable, and the site is highly functional. There is little use of Flash-based applets or other potentially difficult media, which helps to make the website more accessible (Abou-Zahra, 2005). The homepage feels crowded with too many elements, but it is easy to separate what is important.

Though images used are only marginally relevant to the information being conveyed, their usage is minimal and non-intrusive. The pages provide easily-spotted links to the site policies, accessibility information, FAQ, and a site map. Their privacy and site user policies are clearly laid out in plain language at http://nccam.nih.gov/tools/privacy.htm and http://nccam.nih.gov/tools/privacypolicy1.htm. Use of the site does not require any identifying information from the user. Contact information is only collected in order to subscribe to the NCCAM email newsletter, which is entirely optional and can be unsubscribed from at any time.

The only part of the site that absolutely requires registration is the use of the Online Continuing Education System, and even then, only if a medical practitioner is using the system to receive credit. This website has many articles of interest and use to nurses. There is a special set of articles designated specifically for health practitioners, http://nccam.nih.gov/health/providers/, which provide such resources as patient information sheets and guides to speaking with patients about complementary treatment.

There is also the aforementioned Continuing Education System, http://nccam.nih.gov/training/videolectures/, where medical practitioners can receive credit for participating in online seminars and video lectures. There are also instructions and explanations of training grants that nurses who practice traditional medicine can apply for to gain education in complementary and alternative medicine practice, at http://nccam.nih.gov/training/overview.htm. The website http://nccam.nih.gov is found to be a credible source for medical information about complementary and alternative medical practice.

It is balanced, accessible, and completely safe to view. The site carries with it the backing of the National Institutes of Health and the United States government, so nurses and other medical practitioners can make use of its information without fear. Reference Abou-Zahra, S. Ed. (2005). Preliminary Review of Web Sites for Accessibility. In Web Accessibility Initiative. Retrieved March 10, 2011 NCCAM. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. National Institutes of Health, 4 Mar. 2011. Web. 10 Mar. 2011. . Rabjohn, N.

, Cheung, C., & Lee, M. (2008). Examining the Perceived Credibility of Online Opinions: Information Adoption in the Online Environment. Proceedings of the 41st Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences. doi:1530-1605/08

Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“EVALUATING A WEBSITE FOR CREDIBILITY Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/family-consumer-science/1411147-evaluating-a-website-for-credibility
(EVALUATING A WEBSITE FOR CREDIBILITY Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 Words)
https://studentshare.org/family-consumer-science/1411147-evaluating-a-website-for-credibility.
“EVALUATING A WEBSITE FOR CREDIBILITY Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/family-consumer-science/1411147-evaluating-a-website-for-credibility.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF EVALUATING A WEBSITE FOR CREDIBILITY

Evaluating a Website

evaluating a website Name: Course: Tutor: Date: The internet is often a rich source of information on a wide range of topics, which are based on facts and opinions.... It is for this reason that necessitates one to develop keen evaluation skills in order to discern the credibility of information presented.... The website under scrutiny in this paper is owned by Planned Parenthood Federation of America Inc whose content dwells on reproductive health issues....
3 Pages (750 words) Assignment

Evaluating websites for credibility

The importance of credibility with regards information found on the Internet is a fundamental question that a nurse or medical professional of any variety must necessarily consider.... With regards to the website which was leveraged for this particular assignment, http://www.... In short, the purpose of the website is clearly denoted as a nation to reduce and ultimately rid the world of HIV/AIDs.... With regards to the website which was leveraged for this particular assignment, http www....
3 Pages (750 words) Research Paper

Evaluating Website's

There are a number of ways in which a website can establish its credulity, reassuring users that the information they provide is trustworthy.... a website with ‘in-house' experts should make this expertise known.... If they are, another guideline is to look at those sources to see if they, too, have some degree of credibility whether they are other websites or individual ‘experts' in their fields.... It establishes its credibility by claiming to have been in the business since 1994 and it provides information about the site author, Margaret Dikel....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

Patient Guide to WWW

The internet user must check to see whether the facts provided by one source are published by any other website for the same diseases.... A simultaneously amazing and annoying feature about internet surfing is that anyone can launch a website in a span of few minutes.... Examine the source The website's content shouldn't contain anecdotes and testimonials of the patients as primary health information (Szwarc, 2008) Caretaker or the patient must understand the significance of last three letters “URL” in the website....
3 Pages (750 words) Coursework

Evaluating a Website for Credibility Guidelines with Scoring Rubric

This website educates the citizens the importance of vaccination, makes available the Evaluating website for credibility Evaluating website for credibility Countries and some organizations come up with health websites where individuals can access and get information of health.... This website educates the citizens the importance of vaccination, makes available the advice from health care practitioner, and outlines the guidance concerning certain health issues that might be arising across the country....
2 Pages (500 words) Assignment

Evaluating websites

The website strives to save lives by offering 24 hours informative session.... In… The CDC being the nation's protection agency, CDC through the website aims saving and protecting lives of the Americans from critical health threats such as Ebola (CDC, 2014).... Evaluating Websites Evaluating Websites- CDC website Introduction A health-based website's is the centers for Disease Control and Prevention.... The website strives to save lives by offering 24 hours informative session....
2 Pages (500 words) Research Paper

LOCATING SCHOLARLY INFORMATION ON THE INTERNET

Increased reliance on internet as a source of information has been fueled greatly by ease of access and dissemination of information thereby increasing… However, it is this same easy access that prompts questions regarding credibility of information on the internet.... credibility is a multifaceted concept weighing information on the scales of expertise and trustworthiness hence constituting believability.... However, it is this same easy access that prompts questions regarding credibility of information on the internet....
2 Pages (500 words) Research Paper

The Evaluating a Website for Credibility

Through Google search engine, which I used to find the site, it easy to Evaluation of a website for credibility Evaluation of a website for credibility The National Public Radio website abbreviated as npr is useful for getting information on issues happening around the world including public health matters.... rg is essential and one of the best way to determine its credibility of the site.... In addition, according to Sullivan (2001), the credibility of websites can also be evaluated by similarity of the information presented in other sources....
2 Pages (500 words) Assignment
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us