English 105
03/15/2015
Elissa Abbot
WebMD Review
What goes into making a successful webpage? Well while there are many factors to consider when creating a webpage, one should consider some key points during the process. Though a review is based off of an individual’s opinion on how the author or creator has met the key criteria it is still used to rate the credibility of the site and its information. For everything in the world being left up to an individual’s personal interpretation, brings forth the need for criteria and guidelines in order to make or give and educated opinion. Those points to be taken into consideration goes as listed: authority, purpose, coverage, currency, objectivity, accuracy. If each one of these points are met then it is safe to safe the delivery of information was successful. It is as the saying goes “Delivery is everything”. Now with knowing that “delivery is everything” this review will break down how and if the WebMD site “http://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/default.htm” meets all the necessary criteria to be considered a creditable website for delivering information on ADHD.
Upon reviewing the site the first thought was who was providing this information and how creditable are they. On March 03 2015 an article was published on the site entitled “About 7 Percent of Kids Worldwide Have ADHD” by Dennis Thompson a Health Day Reporter, this article broke down the percentages of children in world that are diagnosed with ADHD. This article reference views from Dr.’s and research specialist from reputable universities and hospitals across the world. This particular portion of the site offers different information, it even mentions the possibilities of this disorder being over diagnosed. In regards to authority it is safe to say that aside from the site being titled Web MD insinuating that all information should be creditable because it is coming from medical professionals, but through various citations the sites has proven its authority.
Through further exploring on the site it is clear that the site’s objectivity, accuracy and currency meet standards as well. The currency or relevance of the information provided is updated regularly. The site proves this by providing a section titled “Latest Headlines” here is where updated information is provide in the form of breaking news articles. The sites remains objective because while yes the goal is to raise awareness it does not shy away from viewpoints that may question the obvious. The accuracy is proven through various links to stats and charts and medical journals that prove or disprove theories. Overall the sites coverage is the only place that I see room for improvement. The layout of the site can be considered user friendly but only if you do not suffer from ADHD yourself. During a discussion a classmate by the name of Jade pointed this out to me. She stated that the site was