How to Evaluate Information on the Internet: Questions and Answers

http: //www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/lnformation/internet/print?page=&keyword

First 100 words starts with ' The' and ends with 'learn' at double slashes. There are 4.55 sentences and 167 syllables.

I/The grow in~ QO ~l ~r(t~ of the Jndr~et has made it ea/ilr and fasd r to find health inf/rrtal on.

Much of this info'rm~titn is va1 JaiJe; how/fer, the Inte~n~t aist allo~s rap fci and widesprlad

d. /b l . I ff; I d . I Id.I . +: I I . I I .. / 1 +: 11 /.JI ./d i 1stn ut1on o a se an mis ea mg m1ormat1on. t 1s important ior peop e to carefully cons1 er

h f .+: IJ ./ d d. I h .+: I I . I h fid "hh . h lh !d i t e source o m1ormat1on an to 1scuss t e m1ormat1on t ey m wit t e1r eat care prov1 er.

This fact sheet can helg eo fe deci~e whet/er the health info~mftio'n they find on the Inttn~t or

. I · /.If W b . . 1·k I b 1· ' b"'t":I receive via e-ma1 rom a e site 1s 1 e y to e re 1a e.

1. Who runs the Web site?

An~ Web site should make it eas? for geoR(e to learnfl who is responsible for the site and its information. On the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Web site, for example, the NCI is clearly noted on every major page, along with a link to the site ' s home page.

2. Who pays for the Web site?

It costs money to run a Web site. The source of a Web site 's funding should be clearly stated or readily apparent. For example, Web addresses ending in " .gov" are Federal Government-sponsored sites, ".edu" indicates educational institutions, " .org" is often used by noncommercial organizations, and " .com" denotes commercial organizations. The source of funding can affect what content is presented, how the content is presented, and what the owners want to accomplish on the site.

3. What is the purpose of the Web site?

The purpose of the Web site is related to who runs and pays for it. Many Web sites have a link to information about the site. The link, which is often called "About This Site," should clearly state the purpose of the site and help users evaluate the trustworthiness of the information on the site.

4. What is the original source of the information on the Web site?

Many health and medical Web sites post information collected from other Web sites or sources . If the person or organization in charge of the site did not write the material, the original source should be clearly identified.

5. How is the information on the Web site documented?

In addition to identifying the original source of the material , the site should identify the evidence on which the material is based. Medical facts and figures should have references (such as citations of articles in medical journals). Also, opinions or advice should be clearly set apart from information that is "evidence-based" (that is, based on research results).

6. How is information reviewed before it is posted on the Web site?

Second 100 words starts with 'Health' and ends with 'editorial boards' at double slashes. There are 4.31 sentences and 218 syllables.

JI/ /II II II I/Health-related Web sites should give information about the medical credentials of the

I I . / /II. . II. Ill eo le who re are or review the material on the Web site. For example, the NCI 's Web

· ./ I · ~ I I .I I.I f h I .// ' P1D16@d lb/ All site contams cancer m1ormat1on summaries rom t e nst1tute s ata ase. /I I . I J . I I I 1. I J I I 1 J . D cancer mformat1on summaries are eer-rev1ewed and updated regularly by six

edi{~rfu{ boards of can/er speciali~ts in adu\t treatmlnt, pedi, frrc (childho~d) treatefent, I .I .I d J I I.I d / I J J d I I/ .I supportive care, scree111n an prevention, genetics, an complementllry an a ternat1ve

d ./ ./ h d J I Ill b d ./ I l" I I I f h 710/ b. I /.I l me 1cme. T e e 1tona oar s review current 1terature rom more t an 1omedica I JI/ /I I/ Ill // Ill

journals, evaluate its relevance, and synthesize it to write the PD summaries. Additional }J/ /Ill.

information about the editorial boards/land each .board member can be found at

http: //www.cancer.gov/cancerinfo/pdg/about-editorial-boards on the Internet.

More information about PDQ is available in the NCI fact sheet PDQ®: Questions and Answers. This fact sheet can be accessed at http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/ lnformation/PDQ on the Internet, and can be requested by calling the Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).

7. How current is the information on the Web site?

Web sites should be reviewed and updated on a regular basis. It is particularly important that medical information be current, and that the most recent update or review date be clearly posted. Even if the information has not changed, it is helpful to know that the site owners have reviewed it recently to ensure that the information is still valid.

8. How does the Web site choose links to other sites?

Reliable Web sites usually have a policy about how they establish links to other sites. Some medical Web sites take a conservative approach and do not link to any other sites; some link to any site that asks or pays for a link; others link only to sites that have met certain criteria.

9. What information about users does the Web site collect, and why?

The third 100 words start at 'Web' and ends at slash marks after word 'commercial.' There are 5.08 sentences and 160 syllables.

/I I II I Vw eb sites routine ly track the ath users take through their sites to determine what ages

. I I I I I 11 . / .1 are bemg used . However, many health-related Web sites ask the user to "subscnbe" or

I I I . I I "become a memoer." In some cases, this may be done so they can collect a user fee or

I I I I . +: J I .1 +: h I I h b I I. bl hi. ·11 select re evant m1ormat1on 1or t e user. In all cases, t e su scnpt1on or mem ers 1p w1 I II . II .I I I II . I

al low personal mformat1on about the user to be collected by the Web site owners.

I W b . k. I I +: I 11 • +: I I .I h Id I J . 11 h h . Any e site as mg users 1or persona m1ormat1on s ou exp am exact y w at t e site

will and wi ll not do with the info{mf td n. Ma~ como{ert ia!l/ sites sell "aggregate" data

about their users to other companies-information such as what percent of their users are

women with breast cancer. In some cases, they may collect and reuse information that is

"personally identifiable," such as the user' s ZIP Code, gender, and birth date. Users

should be certain they read and understand any privacy policy or similar language on the

site, and not sign up for anything they do not fully understand.

Record sentences and syllables

Passages Number of Sentences Number of Syllables 1st 100 Words 4.55 167 211

ct 100 Words 4.31 218 3rct 100 Words 5.08 160

Totals 13.94 545 Totals divided by 3 4.64= 4.6 sentences 182

Reading Level = 17111 grade

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108 112 116 120 124 128 132 136 140 144 148 152 156 160 164 168 172 176 180 184

Average number of syllables per 100 words