Public Health: Disease Control and Prevention - Essay Example

the information from the website is intended for public welfare.  It is also meant to educate the public about the many diseases prevalent in our society.  The website is also credible because it is truthful.  The information which can be seen on the website comes from verified reports.  Such information does not make it to the website without a thorough review process and analysis of the data.  This makes the data posted highly credible and reliable.  The truthfulness of the website also takes into consideration the moral and perceptual implications of the website and of the information it seeks to put across. 

            I can trust this website because it has proven throughout the years that it is a trustworthy and reliable source of information.  Information is filtered into the website through the peer-review and expert process of research.  Therefore, I can be sure that the information I read on the website has been evaluated by their research team and has been judged as reliable information.  This website has been used throughout its history as a source of information by other researchers, practitioners, government officials, and private companies.  I can trust this website because it is also responsive to the concerns of the public and it responds to the public’s needs through its panel of experts and through its credible research process.  And more importantly, it has proven throughout the years that it is concerned with promoting and protecting health. 

Website 1: Medical News Today

            The website Medical News Today is not a reliable source because it is not trustworthy nor is it a credible source of information.  The information it releases comes from other sources or databases.  This information from other databases may indeed be peer-reviewed resources, however, they are still second-hand information.  The peer review is not conducted by the members of the web site’s research team, but they are conducted by other researchers and other databases.  The intention of the website is also not clear, hence, it is difficult to determine if they are well-intentioned.  As they claim to serve the public, the data source for some of their information comes from privately-funded research.  Some of the information they release on their website is not specifically cited, nor is it peer-reviewed.  Some of the authors of the articles are not indicated in the article; hence, it is difficult to assess the expertise and the reliability of the authors of such articles.     

            The peer-review process which each article posted on the website goes through is not clearly demonstrated by the website.  Again, this makes it difficult to assess each article for credibility and reliability.  Advertisements for private companies and medical products can be seen on the website and this casts doubt on the unbiased nature of the website and the information it posts.  Some of the articles are rated on popularity, and this also casts doubt on the unbiased nature of each research.  Information to be released to the public should not be swayed by popularity.  It should stand on its own credit and its own credibility based on the research process it goes through and its resource materials.  This source is not a reliable source of information because it has a great potential for bias and it is not considered a highly-reliable source of data by experts and other researchers.  The information it releases to the public is not scrutinized enough as a source of health information to benefit the public