Below is a list of General Health Web sites that are excellent and highly recommended:
Who runs the Website?
Who is responsible for the site? The information should be clearly stated on the homepage.
Who pays for the Website?
It costs money to run a Website. A Website's funding source should be clearly stated or readily apparent.
What is the Website's purpose?
This Web page should clearly state the site's purpose and help you evaluate the trustworthiness of the site's information. Looking for another source of health information that is independent and unbiased can help you validate the accuracy of the material presented on a Website.
What is the original source of the Website's information?
Check for the author's credentials, and if an article is mentioned, did it come from a reputable journal?
How does the Website document the evidence supporting its information?
Websites should identify the medical and scientific evidence that supports the material presented on the site. Medical facts and figures should have references (such as citations of articles published in medical journals). Also, opinions or advice should be set apart from "evidence-based" information (that is, based on research results). Testimonials from people who said they have tried a particular product or service are not evidence-based and usually cannot be corroborated.
Who reviewed the information before the owner posted it on the Website?
Health-related Websites should give information about the medical credentials of the people who prepared or reviewed the material on the Web site.
How current is the information on the Website?
Experts should review and update the material on Websites regularly. Websites should post the most recent update or review date. Even if the information has not changed in a long time, the site owner should indicate that someone has reviewed it recently to ensure it is still valid.
How does the Website owner choose links to other sites?
Do links meet specific criteria, or are they paid ads
What information about users does the Website collect, and why?
Any Website asking you for personal information should explain exactly what the site will and will not do with the information. Many commercial sites sell "aggregate" data—such as what percent of their users take dietary supplements—about their users to other companies. Sometimes, sites collect and reuse "personally identifiable information," such as your ZIP code, gender, and birth date. Be sure to read and understand any privacy policy or similar language on the site, and do not sign up for anything you do not fully understand.
How does the Website manage interactions with users?
Websites should always offer a way for users to contact the Website owner with problems, feedback, and questions. If the site hosts a chat room or online discussion, it should explain the service's terms.
Fake science and health news can cause potential physical and financial damage
It’s easy to be misled (or even harmed) by unproven or exaggerated claims, not to mention the financial impact of spending money on products and services that may not make any difference in your life.
Evaluation of spin in abstracts of papers in psychiatry and psychology journals - Jellison S, Roberts W, Bowers A, et al. BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine Epub ahead of print: [please include Day Month Year]. doi:10.1136/ bmjebm-2019-111176
A study found exaggerated claims in more than half of psychology and psychiatry research papers analyzed
Dr. Kasey Harbine from St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula, Montana gives a brief overview of fake news on the KPAX morning show
Fake science and the knowledge crisis: ignorance can be fatal - R Soc Open Sci. 2019 May; 6(5): 190161
There Are Now 8,000 Fake Science ‘Journals’ Worldwide, Researchers Say