KINE 385: Nutrition for Human Development (Cullers): Internet Sites

NUTRITIONFACTS.ORG is a strictly non-commercial, science-based public service provided by Dr. Michael Greger, providing free updates on the latest in nutrition research via bite-sized videos. There are more than a thousand videos on nearly every aspect of healthy eating, with new videos and articles uploaded every day. 

Why You Should Care About Nutrition

Harvard Food Pyramid image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Almost anyone can have a web page. So some information on the Web is biased, undocumented, or just plain wrong. You will need to evaluate web sites for accuracy, audience, authority, currency, objectivity, and purpose. Here is a checklist you can use:

Accuracy:

• Does the author cite reliable sources for his or her facts?
• How does the information compare with that in other works written about this topic?

Audience:

• Who do you think the author/s of the web site are trying to reach?
• Is there a particular group or segment of society that the author/s are targeting?

Authority:

• What are the author's qualifications for writing on this subject?
• Is he or she connected with an organization that has an established reputation?

Currency:

• Does the web site include a publication date or "last updated" date?

Objectivity:

• Is the author affiliated with a particular organization that might have a bias?

Purpose:

• Is the author's purpose to inform, e.g. provide new information, current events, etc?
• Is the author's purpose to explain, e.g. describe a process, teach, etc?
• Is the author's purpose to persuade, e.g. change your mind, convince you to buy, etc?