Evaluating Internet Health Information Tutorial

Provider and Purpose—Part 1 of 6

The first step to evaluating internet health information is to find out who is managing the site (the provider) and why (the purpose).

Let's begin with the Physicians Academy for Better Health site.

Physicians Academy for Better Health sounds like a very reliable site. But you can't go by the name alone.

To find out who created the site and why, look for the "About" or "About Us" link. On some sites, the "About" or "About Us" link may be located at the bottom of the homepage in the footer or at the top in the header. This is the first stop in the search for clues about a website's reliability.

It should say who is managing the website, and why. A mission or values statement often includes this information.

Screenshot of Physicians Academy for Better Health (PABH) homepage. A red box outlines the link to the 'About Us' page in the footer area at the bottom of the page. — **The link to information about a site is often found either near the top of the page or toward the bottom, as shown in this example.**

On the "About Us" page, we learn that the organization's mission, or purpose, is to "educate the public on disease prevention and healthy living."

Screenshot of PABH 'About Us' page. A red box outlines the text of their mission statement. The page also contains a list of the Board of Directors and an Editorial Policy. — **This example shows a mission statement on the "About Us" page.**

Now we know the purpose of the Physician's Academy for Better Health website. Let's see if their "About Us" page tells us who is providing the information.