It is a well-known warning of the age of information; you often hear it from friends, colleagues, and family alike,

“Don’t believe everything you read on the internet.”

Especially when it comes to online health information, this statement rings very true. But more often than not, the first response anyone has when they have a symptom is to Google it. While this may not be a potentially harmful act on its own, it is a cause of legitimate concern when it comes to the question of what resource you obtain the information from.

Where is this information coming from?

A good rule of thumb is to look for citations when you’re reading any health-related information online. Legitimate, genuine websites always provide citations and sources as to where they got the online health information from originally. These citations usually link to official research pages of medical science organizations which are recognized all over the world.

How up-to-date is it?

New discoveries are constantly being made, and thus health information is constantly changing. Researchers learn new things and publish it from time to time. Most genuine pages have a date as to when the information was last updated. If it has been longer than two years, look for recent information.

Who is responsible for the content of the website?

This is the next most important question to ask yourself. Websites can be published by anyone. But the most reliable information is usually found on websites published by websites that are,

• Government websites (.gov)
• Nonprofit organizations (.org)
• Colleges and universities (.edu)

They are reliable because they are not used for the purpose of selling a product or any kind of service. Thus, their information is unbiased, and they stick to the fact as opposed to health companies that try to sell you something, which makes their content more biased toward the benefits of their product.

With the answers to these questions in mind, you are sure to find reliable and trusted healthcare information on the internet.