Web Nutrition Sleuth Assignment
The Internet has provided us with the ability to access information in just minutes but how can we tell if the information we have retrieved is accurate, based on good science or even reported without bias? Finding reliable and sound nutrition information in today’s world requires good investigative skills.
This assignment is designed to help you determine if the sites you use to get nutrition information are good science and reputable. Answer the questions right on this document and then submit it to the assignment tab under activities.
1. On an Internet search engine of your choice, google/search a nutrition question or topic of your choice. For example, you might be interested in the health benefits of coconut oil, learn how gluten/wheat impacts health or want to find out if kale really is a super food.
What is your question/topic that you searched?
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2. Using only the first page of your web search results, tally up the type of website that the articles/information appears on and complete the chart below:
| Type of Website | Number of results |
| .com | |
| .org | |
| .edu | |
| .gov | |
| .net |
3. List the top 3 sites (web address) and titles.
1. ______________________________________________________________________________________
2. ______________________________________________________________________________________
3. ______________________________________________________________________________________
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When answering the following questions, please use the first 3 sites listed from your search .
4. Looking at the top 3 sites on your page, is the author of the article or site listed? If not, can you determine who might have written it?
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5. Is there any evidence that the author or site has any credibility or authority in the field of nutrition? Expand by explaining what credentials or connections to the subject the authors or site lists.
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6. Can you tell how timely the information is? Does it say when the information was published or posted for each site?
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7. Who do you think the intended audience is for the sites you are examining?
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8. Are there any clues that the author or site might be biased? Are the sites selling or promoting a product? If so, what? Is the author or site taking a stand on particular nutrition topic? If so, what?
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9. Of the 3 sites that you have investigated, would you use the information from any of them to help shape your nutrition choices? Why or why not?
10. Lastly, where do you typically get your nutrition information? How have you evaluated your nutrition information? Have you examined factors like the type of research or author credibility in the past?
