FORCE

Can you tell which health information is trustworthy?

The internet is full of information about health, but it’s not all reliable or useful. Accurate information may be hard to find and full of hard-to-understand terms. Meanwhile, incorrect or misleading information may spread quickly.

Illustrations of app windows with a checkmark, question mark, and exclamation point in each. In the background is a hand holding a mobile device.

Before you make decisions based on health information you see online (or share that information with someone else), ask yourself some questions about:

  • Line icon illustration of a magnifying glass

    The Source

  • Line icon illustration of a note with writing on it

    The Content

  • Line icon illustration of a circular target with an arrow in the middle

    The Relevance

Before we get started, see if you can answer the following question correctly:

Is this article likely to provide reliable information for making medical decisions?
Illustration of a website article, featuring a lab assistant holiding a tray of test tubes. The headline of the article is: Stock Soars After New Test Finds Thousands of Deadly Cancers. Chief Medical Officer: “These Results are Stunning”

Checking the Source

Checking the source of online health information can help you figure out if it is reliable. Test your knowledge by answering the question below about the source of health information. Then read on for some tips on checking the source.

Which article is more likely to provide reliable health information?
Illustration of a website article, with the page title: Amazing Clinic Press Releases. The headline of the article is: Amazing Clinic’s breakthrough research on sea cucumbers could lead to new treatment for chemotherapy-resistant metastatic cancers.
Illustration of a website article, with the page title: Peer-reviewed cancer digest. The headline of the article is: Protein from sea cucumbers may provide new target for treatment of metastatic cancers.

Line icon of a lightbulb Tips for checking the source

Whether an article about health shows up in your news feed, appears in a search engine result or is sent to you by a friend, it's always a good idea to stop and ask yourself where the information first came from.

If you can find the original article, you can learn a lot about how reliable it is by looking at the type of organization that published it and the website’s URL extension. The URL extension is the 2-4 letters after the dot in the website address (for example, .com or .org).

Pink colored photo of a woman holding a mobile device. Illustrations of app windows, along with checkmark icon in the background.

Checking Source Reliability

Social media

News media stories

For-profit companies

Nonprofit organizations

Academic institutions

Government agencies

URL extension
.gov

United States government agencies

Examples
  • National Cancer Institute (cancer.gov)
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC.gov)
  • National Library of Medicine (pubmed.gov)
Reliability

Very reliable

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Tips

These sites are reliable and are a good place to start your search on a health topic.

URL extension
usually .com

Social media platforms that allow people to live stream or share commentary, photos, videos, stories and text.

Examples
  • Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Reddit and Twitch
Reliability

Often unreliable

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Tips

  • These platforms are not well moderated, and people are often allowed to post and share medical misinformation.
  • Check any health information you find on social media with health experts before sharing or acting on it.
URL extension
.com, .net, sometimes .org

News media stories from TV, radio, magazines and cable news outlets

Examples
  • ABC, CBS, CNN, FOX, TIME, MSNBC, Wall Street Journal, etc.
  • Media outlets, such as PBS and Propublica, are nonprofit organizations and have .org as their url extension.
Reliability

Varies

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Tips

Sometimes reporters without a scientific background may misunderstand or miscommunicate the science they’re covering. It’s a good idea to check other sources to see if the reported findings match up.

URL extension
.com, .net, .biz

For-profit companies selling health products or information

Examples
  • Labs and pharmaceutical companies usually have .com websites.
  • Companies selling unproven products or sharing medical misinformation may also have these URL extensions.
Reliability

Varies

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Tips

  • Try to learn more about the business.
  • Most drug company sites are well regulated and reliable, but vitamin and supplement companies are not well regulated and may be less reliable.
URL extension
.org

Nonprofit organizations

Examples
  • Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered (facingourrisk.org)
  • American Cancer Society (cancer.org)
Reliability

Varies

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Tips

Check out their mission, goals and leadership. Do they have an advisory board of medical experts on the health topics that they cover? That’s a promising sign that they may be reliable.

URL extension
.edu

Universities, academic institutions, teaching facilities and hospitals

Examples
  • Stanford School of Medicine (med.stanford.edu)
  • University of Chicago Medicine (uchicago.edu)
Reliability

Usually reliable

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Tips

  • These sites are often a good place to start your search on a health topic.
  • Watch for press releases, which may be less reliable.
URL extension
.gov

United States government agencies

Examples
  • National Cancer Institute (cancer.gov)
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC.gov)
  • National Library of Medicine (pubmed.gov)
Reliability

Very reliable

Line icon illustration a lightbulb with a circle around it

Tips

These sites are reliable and are a good place to start your search on a health topic.

URL extension
usually .com

Social media platforms that allow people to live stream or share commentary, photos, videos, stories and text.

Examples
  • Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Reddit and Twitch
Reliability

Often unreliable

Line icon illustration a lightbulb with a circle around it

Tips

  • These platforms are not well moderated, and people are often allowed to post and share medical misinformation.
  • Check any health information you find on social media with health experts before sharing or acting on it.
Illustration of a magnifying glass being used to inspect a note with writing on it.

"Peer-reviewed" is a term used when research results are reviewed by a panel of experts who did not conduct the research to make sure that the findings are credible.

  • Peer-reviewed journals are considered reliable sources, but they can be technical and hard to read.
  • Some peer-reviewed journals may have simple-to-understand summaries of the research.

Checking the content

To check the content of an article on cancer, ask yourself what the article is really saying and how the information may relate to your care.

Test your knowledge by answering the question about the two health articles below.

Which of these headlines seems more balanced?
Illustration of a website article, with the website title: National News Today. The headline of the article is: Despite scary headlines, drinking milk won’t give you cancer. Photo in the article shows a baby calf standing underneath its mother.
Illustration of a website article, with the website title: Daily Vegan Reporter. The headline of the article is: Shocking scandal! Drinking cow’s milk linked to 80 percent spike in cancer risk. Photo in the article shows a group of cows, with one cow peering closely into the camera.

Line icon of a lightbulb Tips for checking content

To check the content of health information, ask yourself what the article is about. Is it research, a personal story or something else?

If the article is about research:

  • Is it research on cells in a test tube, on animals or on people? Research on cells or animals may be years away from being useful for people.
  • Who conducted the research? Have other experts in the field completed similar research?
  • Search to see if the research led to a change in the guidelines. Research that leads to changes in expert guidelines is important and newsworthy.

If the article is not about research, what is it about?

  • Personal stories from patients can be inspiring or compelling, but they should not be relied on for making medical decisions.
Teal colored photo of a man resting hand under chin with thinking expression on his face. Illustration of an app window with a question mark it in the background.
Line icon of a lightbulb

Be aware of exaggerated language. Words like "poison," "scandal" or "shocking" might be red flags that the content isn't balanced or accurate. Content that seems too good to be true or promises to reveal "a secret that your doctor doesn't know" are red flags, too.

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Check to see that any experts mentioned in the piece are real experts in the field. Researchers will usually have a page on their hospital's website that shares their training and expertise.

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Make sure the article content matches the headline.

Here are some examples of reliable and unreliable content:

Illustration showing an email with a callout showing a portion of a website
Line icon a hand with the thumb pointing up
Unreliable

Your friend forwards you this email they received from a friend with “important” and “life-saving” information from Dr. Tremend Realstead of the Amazing Cancer Clinic. When you look on the Amazing Cancer Clinic’s website, you learn there is no expert with that name.

Illustration of a website with the title National Cancer Institute
Line icon a hand with the thumb pointing down
Reliable

Your doctor refers you to the website for the National Cancer Institute. This is a trusted government website which is updated on a regular basis.

Checking the relevance

To check the relevance of an article on cancer, think about how useful the information is for people in general and how it may relate to your situation or care.

Test your knowledge by answering the question below about the relevance of an article about health, then read on for additional tips.

Which story seems to have more useful health information for people?
Illustration of a website article, with the website title: Better Health Cancer. The headline of the article is: This insect’s painful sting may save lives!. Photo in the article is of a honey bee sitting on a white flower.
Illustration of a website article, with the website title: Health Reel. The headline of the article is: Oncologist group publishes new guidelines on exercise for people diagnosed with cancer. Photo in the article shows a group of middle-aged people exercising outside with hand weights.

Line icon of a lightbulb Tips for checking relevance

Reading the full article (rather than just a headline) may help you understand if the information applies to you.

If the article is about research:

  • Was this research on cells in a test tube or on animals? These studies may not apply to humans yet.
  • For studies in humans, findings from a small study or one that’s the first of its kind might need to be repeated before they become part of medical care. In addition to reading the findings of a study, check to see:
    • How many people were part of the study?
    • Has research been done on similar subjects in the past?
  • Search the name of the study online to see if any other experts commented on or reviewed the research.
    • Have the results been reviewed by other experts?
    • Were the results shared publicly in a peer-reviewed journal?
  • Did the research lead to a new guideline or a change to existing guidelines? This might help you determine whether it’s useful to your situation.
  • Compare the people in the study to yourself. The more similar they are to you and your situation (age, gender, diagnosis, genetic factors, race, ethnicity, health history, etc.), the more likely the research findings may apply to you.
Teal colored photo of a man resting hand under chin with thinking expression on his face. Illustration of an app window with a question mark it in the background.

Quiz 1

Your Score: 0/4

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Now that you’ve learned what to look for in online health stories, here are some red flags to help you spot the traps to avoid.

When you’re reviewing health information online, ask yourself:
Is it trustworthy, or is it a BOAST ?

Man and woman back-to-back in front of letter B. In the foreground are basic shapes, exclamation points, and chat bubbles

Biased

Our own experiences and opinions affect how we understand information, which gives us biases we might not even recognize. Organizations can be biased, too, sharing information that matches their goals or opinions, even if it isn’t totally factual.

Man with big smile, pointing a finger at you and holding a megaphone. In foreground, bubbles showing stars and 100%

Overblown

Websites thrive on the number of people who click on or share the article. Articles with sensational headlines get more attention.

Glamorous woman with hands holding microphones in front of her. In foreground, circles, stars, and chat bubble

Amateur

When it comes to health information, it’s important to rely on experts, not amateurs.

Young woman holding a stack of money with more money falling in the air. In foreground, a grid of dots and mouse cursor hovering over a box

Sales-focused

Websites or social media pages that are trying to sell you something might only present information that supports their product. They may even make up information to make people more interested in what they're selling.

Lab technicians examining test tube and mouse standing on top of test tube. In foreground, a grid of square and the text 80% increase

Taken out of context

Context is important. Sometimes the media leaves out key details that change how research should be understood.

Too early to be useful

Sometimes articles cover research without directly saying that it’s too early to be useful. It can take a long time for studies and research to become actionable advice about a person’s health.

Now take our final quiz to see how much you’ve learned!

Which of these articles comes from a more reliable source?
Illustration of a website article, with the title: For Immediate Release. The headline of the article is: Robogene’s Microdrop Robosequencer Revolutionizes Cancer Biomarker Testing.
Illustration of a website article, with the website title: U.S Food & Drug Administration. The headline of the article is: FDA Issues Safety Alert for Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Various Lymphomas in Scar Tissue around Breast Implants.
Which health content is more likely to be reliable?
Illustration of a website article, with a comment from a person saying: This works! I know someone who cured their cancer with this exact protocol. The headline of the article is: The Cancer Cure: Find out how a combination of smoothies and herbal supplements will conquer cancer.
Illustration of a website article, with the website title: E-Health Journal Digest. The headline of the article is: Early research shows substance in chili peppers may slow growth of cancer cells grown in a lab. Photo in the article shows a hand in a blue rubber glove picking up a test tube.
Which health content is more likely to be useful to people?
Illustration of a website article, with the website title: Health Reel. The headline of the article is: Long-term diet study links coffee consumption to survival after breast cancer. Photo in the article shows two coffee cups sitting on a table.
Illustration of a website article, with the website title: Mailbox Daily Health. The headline of the article is: Why You Should Eat More Chili Peppers: Laboratory study shows ingredient in chili peppers keeps cancer cells from spreading. Photo in the article shows a person holding chili peppers in the palm of their hands.
Which source appears more trustworthy?
Illustration of a website article, with the website title: LightMind LighterBody Institute. The headline of the article is: Unleash Your Body’s Natural Cancer Prevention Mechanisms.
Illustration of a website article, with the website title: National Cancer Institute. The headline of the article is: Cancer Screening, with the sub-topics Screening Tests and Screening Research.
Lab technicians examining test tube and mouse standing on top of test tube. In foreground, a grid of square and the text 80% increase

Now that you know how to identify a BOAST, how do you find trusted information?

Add the name of reliable sources to your search, or start your search on their website

  • National Cancer Institute (cancer.gov), National Library of Medicine (pubmed.gov) or other government agencies
  • American Cancer Society (cancer.org), FORCE (facingourrisk.org) or nonprofits that are recommended by experts
  • Your doctor's or hospital's website

Read the entire article and discuss with experts before making health decisions or sharing with friends, family or peers.

Remember

Outlined icon of health record file

Even trusted information based on research might not be relevant for your particular health situation.

Outlined icon of folder with health records inside

Always talk to your healthcare provider before making decisions about your medical care.