We have developed practical resources or “tools” to help older people and their families remain connected to their communities. These resources are informative, and not meant to replace health care. Please speak with your health provider before starting an exercise program.
Can you trust what you read?
Figuring out how to trust information online can be hard to do – how exactly do you know when a website is reliable? Here are some tips on figuring out how a website is reliable.
Reference: Sbaffi and Rowley. Trust and Credibility in Web-Based Health Information: A Review and Agenda for Future Research. J Med Internet Res 2017;19(6):e218 DOI: 10.2196/jmir.7579
Websites affiliated with a well-known organization, such as a university or government body
Contact information is easy to find
Does not contain advertisements that are unrelated to the information shown, and/or asks you to purchase something
Shows you when the site was most recently updated.
With these tips in mind, it is also best practice to check multiple reliable websites to make sure you are accessing credible information.
Dr. Mike Caulfield, a research scientist from the University of Washington, developed a useful tool to consider when viewing information. It is called SIFT, and it consists of four things to consider.
S = Stop and think about the information before doing anything with it
I = Investigate or learn more about where the information is coming from
F = Find better sources to confirm the information
T = Trace or look for the original source of the information
