For some websites, an organization or sponsor claims authorship, rather than a single author. In this case, you want to ask the same questions you would of a single author. If it is not possible to determine who sponsors the site, you can try truncating the URL (the web address) by deleting the part of the address to the right of the leftmost single backslash and then hit “enter.” For example, http://www.pharmtech.com/virus‐spread‐threatens‐pharmaceutical‐supplies‐and‐clinical‐research takes you to an article about the impact of the coronavirus (COVID‐19) on access to pharmaceutical products more generally. Truncating the URL to the left‐most single backslash will give you http://www.pharmtech.com, which is a website aimed at people within pharmaceutical industries. Knowing this information gives you important context for assessing the credibility of any content within that site.
For example, take the following address, which leads you to a site with information about evaluating websites: https://lib.nmu.edu/help/resource‐guides/subject‐guide/evaluating‐internet‐sources. Truncating it to the left‐most single backslash will give you the URL https://lib.nmu.edu, which is the library's home page for Northern Michigan University. Knowing that this is an educational site, rather than a commercial or personal one, gives you information that can help determine the purpose of the information on the page.
Determining the source and purpose of the information you find on the site can highlight some of the possible biases or assumptions that shape the information. Each of the following URLs contains information about ADHD, but each has a different purpose, as Table 3.3 indicates. To practice evaluating websites, apply the criteria outlined in Table 3.2 to the following links:
https://www.farrin.com/dangerous‐drugs/Ritalin‐lawyer‐north‐carolina‐legal‐help is a page for a law firm;
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/medicating/drugs is part of a public television series about medicating children;
https://www.team‐adhd.com/adhd‐treatment is part of the website for a pharmaceutical company;
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/attention‐deficit‐hyperactivity‐disorder‐adhd/index.shtml is part of the National Institute of Mental Health's website.
Table 3.3 Web Pages, Advocacy, and Coverage for ADHD
| URL | https://www.farrin.com/dangerous‐drugs/Ritalin‐lawyer‐north‐carolina‐legal‐help |
| Host/author | James Scott Farrin, a law firm |
| Site's purpose | This site is a marketing tool to recruit potential clients for the law firm, which is a for‐profit business. |
| Possible limitations of the site | This site offers information about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), specifically about the dangerous side effects of drugs used to treat ADHD. Although the medical information on this site might be accurate, because the site does not provide information about the benefits of pharmaceuticals used to treat ADHD or about nonpharmaceutical treatment, the coverage is weakened. Therefore, any arguments you make about treating ADHD should draw information from sources that are independent of this website. |
| URL | http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/medicating/drugs |
| Host/author | The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), a nonprofit media project |
| Site's purpose | PBS is an educational resource without corporate affiliations. It advertises itself as a resource that “serves the American public with programming and services of the highest quality, using media to educate, inspire, entertain and express a diversity of perspectives” (PBS, 2018). |
| Possible limitations of the site | The information on this page has been put together through Frontline, a public affairs series that PBS sponsors. This site is an informative one, and because it is not affiliated with an organization that has a specific political or business agenda, it should offer a variety of information, representing different perspectives about treating ADHD. However, PBS is a popular source with a lay audience. Although it references scientific studies and interviews scientists, it does not present the studies themselves. Furthermore, PBS relies on monetary support from viewers, so, like a newspaper or magazine, it may foreground more sensational or controversial information. Therefore, any arguments you make about treating ADHD should draw from scholarly sources as well, and you want to make sure you read any articles mentioned on this site in their entirety. |
| URL | https://www.team‐adhd.com/adhd‐treatment/ |
| Host/author | Supernus Pharmaceuticals Corporation |
| Site's purpose | The purpose of this site is to inform care givers about their options for treating a child with ADHD. Because the company is a for‐profit company that manufactures and sells pharmaceuticals, one purpose of this site is to present pharmaceuticals as an attractive option for treating ADHD. |
| Possible limitations of the site |