Drug and alcohol information for PDHPE students

There is a huge amount of health information available on the Internet, and due to the ever-increasing number of sites available there is a growing need for librarians, students, teachers and the community to be able to identify quality health information. 

The Quality Assurance Criteria have been developed by librarians at the State Library of NSW and can be used to assess health information on the Internet. 

This includes information found on websites, YouTube videos, blog posts, emails, on Facebook and Twitter and other social media. 

Health information on the Internet can be assessed using the following criteria:  

Content

What information is available on the website?

Look for currency, bias, references, relevance and disclaimer.

Source

Where does the information come from?

Look for author, publisher, credentials, editorial review process, conflict of interest, sponsorship and context.

Presentation

How is the information presented?

Look for design, accessibility, links, searching, layout and usability.

• the criteria are a guide only
• not all criteria will be applicable to all websites
• no checklist is foolproof
• no website can replace the advice of a health care professional