Table 2 Web site quality score criteria

1. Mission of site

1

Purpose of the website stated.

2

Intended audience defined.

3

Site provides a mission statement.

4

The content of the site matches statement.

2. Disclosure of ownership/source

5

Individual or organization name on every page?

6

Physical address on every page?

7

Electronic address on every page?

8

Qualifications/credentials of organization or individual site owner specified

9

Type of organization made clear (e.g., government, non-profit, commercial)

10

Organization or individual's affiliations and alliances and disclosure of any relationship that might influence the content of the site.

11

Editorial Board, Advisory Board, or Board of Directors members listed with credentials.

3. Transparency of sponsorship

12

Disclosure of all sources of funding for organization/website (grants, sponsors, advertisers, fees, personal).

13

Disclosure of any relevant personal or financial associations that might be considered a potential conflict of interest.

14

If advertising is a source of funding, this should be clearly stated

15

A brief description of the owner's advertising policy is included.

16

Content intended to promote or sell a product or service should be clearly distinguished from the educational and scientific content.

4. Accountability to Users

17

Multiple methods of contacting the owner of the site (e-mail address, electronic form, mail, phone, fax) must be available from the home page.

18

Multiple methods of contacting the owner of the site (e-mail address, electronic form, mail, phone, fax) must be easily accessible from other pages of the site.

19

A site offering interactive exchanges (e.g., chat room, medical advice) provides information about the moderator or clinician's expertise and affiliations.

20

A site offering interactive exchanges (e.g., chat room, medical advice) provides information about the moderator or clinician's source of compensation

21

A site offering interactive exchanges (e.g., chat room, medical advice) provides a disclaimer that all posted information may not be accurate.

5. Quality of information

22

Authority of sources: Clear statement of source for all information, including 1author's name

23

Authority of sources: Clear statement on the sources of information, including Author's credentials and / or affiliations

24

Authority of sources: Clear statement on the sources of information, including Author's financial disclosure or potential conflict of interest

25

Description of any “seal of approval” or award the website has been granted.

26

Attribution: All information supported by citations to source resources with hypertext links if available.

27

The site should indicate whether information is based on scientific studies, expert consensus, professional opinion, or personal experience or opinion.

28

Accuracy: The information presented should be based on objective, scientific research.

29

The site should identify the evidence that supports a position including references to published studies and reference works.

30

Currency: The date that content was first developed.

31

The date of last update or modification should be clearly indicated on each piece. The date the whole site was updated or the copyright date is not adequate.

32

Site does not contain out-dated information

33

Review process: Statement of procedure used for selection of site content.

34

Includes a guarantee of the independence of the editorial process.

35

Includes the names and credentials of the Editorial Board.

36

Standards of writing/editing: Writing on the site should be professional, with proper grammar, spelling, and composition.

37

Completeness: Includes the comprehensiveness of a resource, including the breadth and depth of coverage.

6. Quantity of information

38

Includes the retrospective coverage (archived items).

39

Includes the balance of the information presented, such as admitting when an issue is controversial and including all reasonable sides in a fair way.

40

Provision of links to other resources: Offers hypertext links to other resources.

41

Indicate whether links to other sites are informational only or if such links imply endorsement.

42

Any links are carefully selected and their content is accurate and credible.

43

Any links are carefully selected and their content is current.