Evaluate Web Resources
Evaluating Web Resources
What to look (out) for when evaluating health information on the web
Source of the Information | Can you identify the author, either an individual or organization? If so, is the author an expert in the subject of the site? Look for an "about us" page. Is there contact information?
Follow the Evidence | Is there supporting evidence? If not, get a second opinion.
Beware of Bias | Why does the information exist? Who pays for the site? Is the site supported by public funds, donations or commercial advertising?
Currency | If your topic requires current information, look for dates. Click on a few links; broken links may indicate that a site is not updated regularly.
Abbreviated from the MedlinePlus Guide to Healthy Web Searching = https://medlineplus.gov/healthywebsurfing.html
Recommended Websites
- Bureau of Justice StatisticsThe Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) is the United States' primary source for criminal justice statistics.
- FBI Uniform Crime ReportsConceived to meet the need for reliable uniform crime statistics for the nation, the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program has been the starting place for law enforcement executives, students of criminal justice, researchers, members of the media, and the public at large seeking information on crime in the nation.
- Florida Department of Law EnforcementThe FDLE site provides information about all aspects of law enforcement in Florida. Most useful might be the departmental publications, outlines of programs designed for local agencies, and the searchable systems and alerts.
- Justice Research and Statistics AssociationA non-profit organization that conducts multi-state research on common areas of criminal justice, their website offers a large, searchable database of their reports and findings. Each publications is available in full-text and linked to the relevant law or government agencies involved.
- Sourcebook of Criminal Justice StatisticsOver 100 sources of statistics are compiled here to provide over 1,000 different tables of criminal justice statistics. Topics include: criminal justice characteristics, public opinion, victims of crime, arrests and seizures, prosecution and sentencing, parole, jails and prisons, and the death penalty. Also includes the statistics from U.S. Bureau of Justice
Statistics.
Online Videos and Podcasts
- Multimedia From NIJStreaming interviews, podcasts and webinars on current criminal justice topics from the National Institute of Justice.