RT Journal
A1 Badgett RG, Lawrence JC
T1 Internet health ratings systems: Knowledge vs babel
JF JAMA
JO JAMA
YR 1998
FD August 26
VO 280
IS 8
SP 697
OP 699
DO 10-1001/pubs.JAMA-ISSN-0098-7484-280-8-jbk0826
UL http://dx.doi.org/10-1001/pubs.JAMA-ISSN-0098-7484-280-8-jbk0826
AB 
Current rating instruments are excessively weighted by factors unrelated to quality of information. Many of the instruments reviewed by Jadad and Gagliardi allow a Web site to receive a high rating based solely on appearance and ease of use. We agree that Web sites should be well designed and easy to use and that rating systems should assess these features. However, the validity and accuracy of health information on a Web site are not linked to appearance and should be rated separately. We propose markers of valid content based on the quality of the content provided.