Evaluation of Websites based on HIV & AIDS
The following table illustrates five key components that were evaluated for three websites dealing with HIV & AIDS. These components include:
| Criteria | Gender and HIV/AIDS | The NY Rethinking AIDS Society | The True But Little Known Facts about Women and AIDS |
| Accuracy | The information in this website is reliable and error free. The site was published by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS and provides a variety of contact information and extensive copyright information. A great part about the site is that it provides a mailing address, phone and fax numbers, and email addresses. The fact that the site gives so much in terms of contact information causes the reader to have every confidence that the source of the information is reliable.
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The information that was provided through the links that were given seemed to be accurate based on The evidence they used to back up their statements. However, it is difficult to tell whether the information is scientifically accurate. It is quite possible that if a scientist were to read this site, they would conclude that the information is not accurate and that the site is trying to disprove the science behind the virus by attacking the moral aspects of the research.
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This information on this site is not error-free, and would therefore question the reliability of such claims. The author clearly provides documentation for her information, but before deemed reliable, research on the sources would be highly suggested. The documentation, or works cited, contains some errors that may be invisible to the untrained eye, but after some scrutiny, most people would notice them. There are some spelling errors throughout the site, causing suspicion to that of a reliable source, as one would avoid such errors.
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| Authority | The page is not signed, but there are two pages, one devoted solely to contact information, and one devoted solely to copyright information. Since the site contains press releases, speeches, statements, publications, and a variety of other resources, site is comprised of a variety of material by an assortment of authors. The site is sponsored by two subdivisions of the United Nations called UNAIDS and UNIFEM, which woud be considered to be very reputable organizations. The United Nations is known worldwide for providing a forum in which many nations from around the globe can convene and work together toward solving international problems.
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One specific author is not stated on the main site, but all of the links they provided (and there were a LOT of them), had authors stated. The authors seem to come from reputable places or have descriptions of their authority on the topic with bibliographic information. The only publishing information is that the site is supported by NYRAS (The New York Rethinking AIDS Society).
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This author is Dr. Juatta Lyon Fueul, who looks to be a qualified professor at The University of Santa Anita. According to the website, she is part of the Department of Health adn Communications Auditing. The sponsor looks like it is the University of Santa Anita, which upon first glance would be considered reputable. Although the authors of this webpage have never heard of that particular university, the assumption would lead one to believe that because it is a university, the source would be acceptable. There are several signatures that lead one to question the validity of the source. For example, one of the signatures is the person who authored the page is a hoax, but the others seem to be there to prove a point. |
| Objectivity | The purpose of this pages seems to be informative; therefore, The information on the page shows little bias since there is no real reason to sway the audience's opinion. Also, no advertising exists to affect the mind set of The person reading the site.
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The most interesting part of the evaluation of this site is that it is VERY much one sided, supporting the statement that HIV does not lead to AIDS, that the research that has been done is basically incorrect, and that people are dying from the drug treatments rather than the disease itself. This site offers information that is often never discussed when talking about AIDS, though the information is thought to be very controversial and not backed by scientific evidence, theory, or true experiment. | Similar to the first source, this site seems to be of purely informational value; therefore, there is no need for the author to use bias to sway anyone's opinion. Advertising is absent from this page, and does not interfere with the audience's perceptions regarding the topic.
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| Currency | The copyright information shows that the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS published the site in 2003, which leads to the conclusion that the information is fairly current and up to date. Some of the links date back to 1996, but some of them are as recent as 9/03. All the information is relevant to the topic.
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This webpage did not include any date as to when it was published, nor did it have a date for when it was last updated. However, they did include a link called "New" for all of the new articles that they put on their page. Even those didn't have a year, but all seemed relatively current - they were listed by month and date, but not year, so currency is unknown.
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The page is copyrighted 2002 and the sources listed in the "works cited" section range from 1993-2001.
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| Coverage | This site offers information on the organization UNAIDS and explains how it supports a global response to the AIDS virus. The general information on this site about UNAIDS includes transcripts of speeches and information on governance, sponsors, partnership, and human resources. The site also contains information on celebrities who support AIDS awareness and prevention as well as information on human rights and monitoring and evaluating the disease. A section on resources contains epidemiology, press releases, question and answers, and terminology. Researchers utilizing this site can also access multiple media resources as well as schedules and descriptions of AIDS-related events. The part of the website that focuses on UNIFEM provides a plethora of readings that cover topics such as high-risk women, marriage and AIDS, the church and AIDS, and women living with AIDS, among others. There is a discussion forum, a resources section, a news and events section, a search section, and an “interact with us” section. A section at the bottom of the main page covers all of the new resources that have recently been added to the site.
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The aspect of the opposing view point on HIV and AIDS is covered in great depth. There was a very wide range of sources that they use to provide evidence of their point of view, and do it well. Many aspects of HIV and AIDS are covered, including the social isolation, drug treatments, HIV causing AIDS, and the cause of death. If someone who is relatively uneducated on the topics surrounding AIDS and HIV, they may easily become convinced that this site provides accurate and scientific proof, and fully believe what they are conveying.
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The content in this page consists of five "facts" of AIDS as it is related to women. It describes ways that women can reduce their risks of contracting the HIV virus. It also contains a "works cited" section that documents the sources from with the information was garnered.
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| Overall | If a research paper was assigned on HIV/AIDS, this site would most definitely be accepted as a source. From a teacher's vantage point, it is a very valuable resource that provides a lot of detailed and relevant information on the topic. This site is not an advertisement, rather it is a valuable source sponsored by a reputable organization.
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As for the overall acceptable use for students, this site would need to be used cautiously. It is always great for students, while doing research, to include all sides of the matter, and in that case this site would provide great insight. However, for a scientific paper this site would not be appropriate, as students would be reporting on non-scientific material. The evidence they include is based on statistics - not hard laboratory investigation. This site would be fine for a student to look at and have them realize that the information they are providing is not appropriate for science use. For an English purpose, where students are asked to write an argumentative paper, this site would be of great value.
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This website would be an excellent tool for proving to students that virtually anything can be published to the web. Other than that, it is pretty much useless. This information is bogus and ridiculous, and the author obviously invented the sources. The site itself proves a good point, but a teacher should instruct their students to be more selective when choosing a site for research.
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The three websites that we evaluated contained information about HIV and AIDS. The first website, Gender and HIV/AIDS contained a variety of information and readings regarding HIV and AIDS. UNAIDS and UNFEM sponsor the website and we found the information to be accurate and reliable. The second source, The New York Rethinking AIDS Society, claims that AIDS is a hoax sponsored by the government. Testamonials comprise most of the content, and they attempt to support the claim that the disease AIDS is not real. The last source we looked at, True but Little Known Facts About Women and AIDS, makes interesting claims regarding the disease, but they lack any valid support. The site looks reliable at first glance, but once the researcher takes a closer look, he or she will notice that it is riddled with mechanical errors. The site really proves the point that anyone can publish anything on the Internet.