Week 1
IN THIS LESSON
“Trust It or Trash it?” can help us think more carefully about which websites and apps we use.
There are 3 questions we need to ask when we use a website or app:
Who said it?
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Think about TRUSTING IT if: The author’s name is easy to find.
Think about TRUSTING IT if: The authors have experience with the condition and are respected in the community and by their colleagues.
Think about TRASHING IT if: You don’t know who wrote it, or you can’t find the author’s name.
Think about TRASHING IT if: You can’t find information about the author’s background or experience, or you can tell they don’t have any experience.
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Think about TRUSTING IT if: You can tell where the information comes from - the sources are listed.
Think about TRASHING IT if: You can’t tell where the information comes from – the sources aren’t listed.
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Think about TRUSTING IT if: The sponsor has a lot of experience with the condition and the information doesn’t try to sell a product or point of view.
Think about TRASHING IT if: The sources listed for the information aren’t clearly related to the content or appear to be selling something.
Think about TRASHING IT if: Information about the funding or sponsoring group isn’t provided.
2. When did they say it?
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When was it written or updated?
Think about TRUSTING IT if: The information is current.
Think about TRASHING IT if: The information seems out of date based on other information you’ve read about or know.
Think about TRASHING IT if: A date for the information isn’t given.
3. How did they know?
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Think about TRUSTING IT if: The medical information is based on research of many people.
Think about TRASHING IT if: The information is based only on someone’s opinion or individual experience.
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Think about TRUSTING IT if: The information matches what you’ve found in multiple other sources.
Think about TRUSTING IT if: If there are no other sources with the same information, it could be new, cutting edge research. (See the second “Trash it” statement below).
Think about TRASHING IT if: The information presented is clearly wrong given the current state of the science and the opinions of many experts.
Think about TRASHING IT if: There are no other sources with the same information and it seems too good to be true, it may be. (See the second “Trust it” statement above).
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Trust or Trash:
Genetic Alliance, http://www.trustortrash.org/
Videos were created by the Sydney Health Literacy Lab team.