Skip to main content
Tips for Finding Evidence Based Resources

Tips for Finding Evidence Based Resources

Top Content

  • laptop image

    Evidence should be used as the glue that keeps your conversations together. Home visitors need to utilize evidence to back up and enhance vaccine discussions, but how can you be sure you are accessing credit-worthy talking points?

    Use the following tips and tools to ensure you are accessing evidence-based sources:

    • Before considering vaccine information on the Internet, check that the information comes from a credible source and is updated on a regular basis.
    • Ensure the contents are researched, written, and approved by subject matter experts, including physicians, researchers, epidemiologists, and analysts.

The Power of the Internet

While the internet is a useful tool for researching vaccine information, it is imperative to evaluate the web address.

You can get hints about a site if it has the endings shown on the right.

When reviewing information use your judgement. Recognize that evaluating quality is something of an art. Although very few sources will have all criteria for credibility and accuracy, familiarizing yourself with these criteria can help you sift through information more critically and will provide important clues that will help you differentiate between good-quality and poor-quality information.185

 


 .edu - A web address that ends in .edu is published by an organization that is associated with an educational institution such as a university.

.gov - An ending of .gov signifies that the web page belongs to a governmental organization.

.org - An address ending in .org typically belongs to a nonprofit.

.com - An ending of .com typically belongs to a for-profit company.