Quackery identification in the quackwatch articles is the over promotional in the field of health in which the promoters sell unquestionable products and services. The use of methods that are not scientifically accepted and this malpractice involves failure by health professionals to meet the standards for proper diagnosis and treatment. Self-treatment, family home treatment and neighborly advice by folk healers form a basis of exploitation. Mostly commonly, of course, the accusation of quackery issued from the mouths of those blessed with the attributes- or at least the reputation – of being regular doctors, was targeted against those lacking them (Porter, 1989).
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The key areas in assessing credibility of an information source that were listed on the University of Oregon’s site are the authority of the author and the background of the publisher the author information is found on title page, title information or top or bottom of the page. The credentials of the author relevant university degree, institutional affiliation, and past writings and reputation will help give more relevance to the web page or report. The other ways is evaluating the objectivity of the article by looking into the abstract, introduction. The author should not show bias and should show relevance. Evaluation of the currency is another way that requires providing the time frame and if the publication is current (Long & Boyle, 2013). Evaluating of the relevance of the information and if it is appropriate to the research topic at hand. The evaluate the quality of the website to find if information being well organized according to the logical structure, clear main points, the flow of the documents and the author’s arguments. Typographical and grammar errors and graphical images clear labeling, explanation are pointers to the quality of the information on the website. The web pages should also contain reliable information that is understandable.
The nutritional label required by the federal government to appear on food packages contains information that could help you create and maintain a healthy diet (McCarthy, 2008). The website with credible information on nutritional issues is the Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion the website address ishttp://www.cnpp.usda.gov/. The website is reliable considering the issues of domain, with an extension of .gov under the United States Department of Agriculture. The website provides information on dietary linking scientific research to the nutritional requirements of consumers. The revision of the website is after every five years jointly with the Department of Health and Human. They provide reliable information about consumption of fewer calories, basics on healthy eating habits, dietary plans. The topic on nutrition insights provides information for both children and adults that are current and relevant (Insel & Insel, 2013). The credibility of the website to increase more traffic on those who require valuable information on nutrition by making the web pages self-explanatory without requiring more skills to access information. The web pages are not current and require frequent updates. The display of the website is not attractive.
The website http://dietitians.org.nz is unreliable, and has very little information on the topic on nutrition and the org.nz is not specific. The web page on about us does not provide information on location of the dieticians. The author or publishers are a group of dieticians who are questionable because there is no mention of qualifications apart from advertisement on becoming dieticians. There are no other sources linked to the information on the web pages thus making it not credible information being the view of the dieticians. The author has no authority in the field of nutrition as they are dieticians thus there is need to be caution on the information provided. The website can be credible by providing an authorized source that the users can rely on. The need to provide relevant and timely information on nutrition can be useful. The website can increase its relevance by providing clarity on the publishers, their authority, the display and font that is professional on the web pages.
References
Insel, P. M., & Insel, P. M. (2013). Discovering nutrition. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Long, S. R., & Boyle, M. (2013). Personal Nutrition (8th ed.). Wadsworth, Belmont: Cengage Learning.
McCarthy, R. (2008). Food labels: Using nutrition information to create a healthy diet. New York: Rosen Central.
Porter, R. (1989). Health for sale: Quackery in England 1660-1850. Manchester: Manchester Univ. Press.
