In the case of websites with expert information, it is vital that their authors follow basic rules of publication and citation ethics. Therefore, determine carefully whether the text complies with the following requirements:
Determine whether the text is really written in an academic style and if the phrasing used therein is common for texts intended for experts and not for the lay public.
If we compare the text from WebMD with the text from the NCI website, you can see that although both texts are intended for the lay public, the text from WebMD inclines towards spoken language, for example, it addresses the reader. The NCI text on the other hand is strictly factual like academic texts.
In an academic text it is vital to document the sources of information that you have taken from elsewhere. We usually do so by means of citations, which refer to bibliographic references containing basic information about the respective information resource, so that others can find these sources and verify the information. You can also formulate sentences in the text in such a way that it is clear what source the details were taken from. Academic texts also include a bibliography. Authors cite properly within the text, i.e. they place quotations within quotation marks and use a different font face, such as italics, for paraphrases. Paraphrases, i.e. an original thought summarized in your own words, must also be supplied with a link (citation) to the bibliographic reference in the bibliography. You should also note what type of resources are used (scientific journals, monographs, popular science literature), because the quality of the literature used can indicate the quality of the text. If the author refers to related websites (“related links”, “additional links”, etc.), always verify what type of resource it is.
The text of the contribution on WebMD does not contain links to resources. Moreover, the section Sources at the end does not include the usual bibliographic references according to which the resources can be identified unambiguously, rather it features only the names of professional institutions and some other names where is not clear whether these are books, journal articles or handbooks. One cannot simply and unambiguously identify information sources.
The patients’ version of the contribution on NCI website also contains neither citations in the text nor bibliographic references to show the sources which the authors of the text have drawn on. On the other hand, this version provides a direct link to the version for professionals where both citations in the text and a bibliography are included. In addition, the bibliography contains direct links to the records of cited publications in the database MEDLINE PubMed. In this respect, it is understandable that the patients’ version does not contain links to the resources when everyone has the possibility to verify everything in the professional version.