GCU ENG-105
Finding a Credible Source
Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is something that 6.4 million children must deal with every day (A.D.D. Resource Center Inc, 2019). ADHD is a mental disorder that makes it hard for people to focus and sit still. There are many resources on the internet today that gives information on ADHD, but are they all credible? The five different criteria that determine if a website is credible or not are accuracy, authority, objectivity, and currency.
KidsHealth from Nemours has published an article that has information on ADHD and how ADHD is treated. Nemours is a nonprofit pediatric health system dedicated to providing health care and an advocate for children (Nemours, 2019). KidsHealth is a credible webpage because it successfully established authority, currency, and accuracy as they inform the public about childhood ADHD.
First of all, KidsHealth showed that the ADHD webpage is credible because it was made by someone who has authority. Some ways websites can show authority is to have authors listed on the webpage. On the KidsHealth webpage about ADHD, under the title, it shows that the webpage was reviewed by Shirin Hasan, MD. This means that the webpage was reviewed by a medical doctor before it was published. KidsHealth made the name of the doctor a hyperlink, once you click on the hyperlink a new webpage will show up with the doctor who reviewed the ADHD webpage information. The new webpage shows that the doctor specializes in psychiatry and has many years of experience in treating children with ADHD and general psychiatric issues.
When doing research on the KidsHealth webpage, they make it very easy to see that the Nemours health organization is showing their authority by putting that they have a Nemours Foundation that was established in 1995. Showing that KidsHealth is part of the Nemours foundation helps readers feel secure that the webpage information is credible.
Secondly, KidsHealth is credible because the webpage on ADHD is current. Having current information is important because information, especially in the health field, is always changing and having the most recent information means there is no room for error. The Grand Canyon University textbook Writing with Purpose gives ideas about what to look for to see if the webpage is current. Some questions are; When was the information posted on the internet, when was the last time the information was updated, and are their hyperlinks on the webpage, if so, are they active or are they broke and lead to nothing (Chinn, 2015). KidsHealth makes it easy to find credibility in the ADHD webpage with currency. After the last sentence on...
