Read this website from the University of North Caroline (Asheville) on evaluating information sources on the Web: http://www.library.unca.edu/library/lr/evalweb.html (Links to an external site.).
For this assignment, you must select a single website to evaluate as a resource for nutritional information. This may be a website that you already visit regularly for nutritional advice. If there is no such website that you use, try googling a nutrition topic of interest to you and evaluating a website that comes up in your top search results.
When you have selected a website to evaluate, answer the questions. These questions are good questions to ask of any website you use as an information source. These questions may not be immediately easy to answer. If the website has an "About Us" or "Who We Are" link, you may need to go there to find some of the answers.
I will be evaluating your assignment on the basis of the thought you put into evaluating your chosen website, not the quality of the website you choose. If you cannot find the answer to a particular question (such as the author's name) just write "not found". (Note that if I can find the answer easily on your chosen website, I will take points off for lack of effort.)
Clearly indicate your answers to question 1, 2a, 2b, etc.
1. Give the address of the website you're evaluating.
2. Who wrote the website:
A) Name the author of your website, if possible.
B) Does the author have any credentials as a nutrition expert? If so, explain what they are.
(Examples: Registered Dietitian (RD), Ph.D. or M.S. in Nutrition) If you'd like more information on evaluating nutrition credentials, check out this website: Where To Get Professional Nutrition Advice (Links to an external site.)
(http://www.quackwatch.com/04ConsumerEducation/nutritionist.html)
3. Purpose of the website:
A) Name the organization(s) associated with the website, if any.
B) If the website is affiliated with a particular organization, what is the stated purpose or mission of the organization?
C) Is the website, or the organization behind it, trying to sell you something?
4. Sources of information:
A) Does the author tell you where they got their information?
B) Does the author's information come from peer-reviewed research published in a reputable journal?
CLICK HEREto see a list of reputable scientific journals in the field of Nutrition and Dietetics.
(http://www.scimagojr.com/journalrank.php?area=0&category=2916&country=all&year=2013&order=h&min=0&min_type=cd )
5. How up-to-date is the information in your website? Check the "last updated" or copyright dates. If there are journal articles cited, check the dates on those articles.
6. Read the "10 Red Flags of Junk Science " put together by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and partners. Do you see any of these red flags on your website? Explain.
7. Overall, taking everything above into consideration, do you think this is a reliable resource to use for nutritional advice? Use your answers to questions 2-6 to explain your answer.