As a (former) librarian, I’m often asked to help find information on a variety of exercise- and medical-related topics. Although there is a lot of great information on the internet there is also a lot of garbage. (I won’t mention the weird stuff I found today….)

How can the average consumer figure out which is which?

I came across some great tips today on MedlinePlus that may help make separate the good stuff from the not-so-good.

Health Tip: Using the Web for Health Information: Make sure the information, source are sound

(HealthDay News) — While the Internet can be a great source of health knowledge, it is important to make sure that you’re getting sound advice from a trusted source. The American Academy of Family Physicians offers these guidelines:

• Make sure the information was either written or medically reviewed by a doctor, or that the original source is clearly noted.
• Look for reliable sources for statistics.
• Make sure the information is factual, versus opinion.
• Look for information that has been written or updated within the past year.
• Sites run by government, university or nonprofit organizations tend to be reliable because they are not funded by companies that may have a conflict-of-interest.

Related MedlinePlus Page: Evaluating Health Information