Choosing resources
Before you trust a health article, check one claim.
Choose one claim. Follow it to its source. Keep a useful question for whatever remains unclear.
A health article can leave you with more questions than you started with. Instead of trying to settle every question at once, choose one claim and check it well. One careful check teaches you more than ten quick skims.
This method takes about fifteen minutes. It works for websites, social media posts, emails, videos and printed leaflets. You don’t need to be an expert; you need a pen, the article and a little patience.
Turn one question into a learning plan.
The free Seven-Day Everyday Learning Workbook has seven short exercises: choose a goal, check a source, practice label units, prepare care-team questions and plan your next week.
Free. No payment card. Download immediately after your request. Follow-up emails are a separate, optional choice.
Choose one claim.
Pick the sentence that matters most to you, the one you might act on or repeat to someone. Write it in your own words. Then note the article title, the website or channel, and the address or date so you can find it again.
Keeping to one claim keeps your review focused. If the article makes several claims, choose the boldest one first. Bold claims need the strongest support.
Check who, when and what supports it.
MedlinePlus suggests a few questions before you trust health information: who runs the site, what its purpose is, who pays for it, where the information comes from, and whether it is up to date. You can usually find the answers on an “About us” page, at the bottom of the article, or in its reference list.
| Look for | Your question |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Who runs this site, and can I contact them? |
| Author or reviewer | Who wrote this, and what is their relevant role? |
| Written or updated date | When was this last checked? |
| Purpose | Is it here to inform, to sell, or to promote an opinion? |
| Supporting reference | Does the reference address this exact claim? |
A reference link is a starting point. Open it and read what it actually supports.
That last row matters most. Articles sometimes link to a real study or agency page that says something narrower than the claim. Read the part of the source that the claim depends on. Does it say the same thing, about the same kind of people?
When a source seems trustworthy, don’t stop there. MedlinePlus also suggests looking for similar information on other reliable sites, such as federal agencies, medical schools and large professional or nonprofit organizations.
Notice commercial ties.
Look for advertising, sponsorship, “buy now” buttons, sales links and commission disclosures. MedlinePlus notes that ads should be clearly marked, and that information paid for by a business may favor its products. A commercial tie does not make a claim false. It does mean you should record the business purpose separately from the evidence.
Why this matters for diabetes claims. The FDA has warned companies whose products were sold illegally with diabetes treatment claims. Those products included dietary supplements and medicines sold without a prescription, and the FDA had not evaluated them as safe and effective. Its advice: check with your health care professional before buying an unproven product or one with questionable claims.
The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) adds context on supplements. It says that for most dietary supplements there isn’t evidence of a benefit for diabetes, that the evidence for a few is weak, and that some supplements can have serious side effects. Talk to your care team before trying any.
See a short source-check note.
Your result can be a few lines. Here is what a note might look like for an invented article.
A short source-check note
Claim: “This capsule makes blood-sugar worries disappear.”
Found: The publisher is the company selling the capsule. There is an order page. No author or date is shown.
Missing: A reference that supports the claim.
Next question: What reliable information addresses this claim, and does it apply to me?
Made-up example; not a review of a real business or product.
Notice that the note does not end with a verdict like “this is a scam.” It ends with what you know, what is missing and a next question. That is honest, and it gives you something useful to bring to your care team.
Keep uncertainty open.
If a detail is missing or unclear, write “not verified.” An unchecked item does not automatically mean a claim is false; it means you don’t know yet. Keep the question open, compare one more reliable source, and discuss whether it applies to you with your care team.
Your process is short enough to remember: claim, source, what is unclear, next question. A short note can be a useful result. You can stop there.
MedlinePlus also offers a free tutorial, Evaluating Internet Health Information, if you want more practice with made-up example websites.
Make your next source check simpler.
Source Credibility Checklist
Eight checks (ownership, author, date, purpose, support, limits, commercial ties and privacy), a “choose an action” step, a worked example and a reusable review note.
No email, account or purchase needed. Two-page PDF.
Want more practice? Exercise 2 in the free workbook is a guided source check. If your question is about choosing a course or a book, read Can Free Resources Meet Your Learning Needs? next.
General education only. This page helps you organize learning and questions. It is not medical advice and does not recommend a treatment, diet, medicine or blood-sugar target. Personal health decisions belong with your care team. Medical and educational disclaimer
Sources and editorial notes
- MedlinePlus (National Library of Medicine), Evaluating Health Information, retrieved October 18, 2026.
- MedlinePlus (National Library of Medicine), Evaluating Internet Health Information: A Tutorial, retrieved October 18, 2026.
- US Food and Drug Administration, Illegally Sold Diabetes Treatments, retrieved October 18, 2026.
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, Diabetes and Dietary Supplements: What You Need To Know, retrieved October 18, 2026.
Examples are illustrative. Not yet reviewed by a clinician. See our Editorial Policy, Review Methodology and Affiliate Disclosure.
Keep learning, one question at a time.
Source Credibility Checklist
Check who wrote a claim and what supports it. No email needed.
Can Free Resources Meet Your Learning Needs?
Define the gap before paying for structure.
Prepare Three Questions for Your Care Team
Prioritize questions and record a next step.
Start with one useful question.
Get the free seven-day learning workbook. No purchase required.
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