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Nutrition & Obesity Publications

WIN

NIDDK

Summer 1998 Tufts University Nutrition Navigator Rates Websites

To find reliable nutrition information on the Internet geared toward your particular needs, check out the Tufts University Nutrition Navigator (http://navigator.tufts.edu). This online rating and review guide can help you sort through the large volume of nutrition information on the Internet and find useful, accurate information.

Tufts' nutritionists evaluate and rate nutrition-related websites based on criteria developed by an advisory board comprising six leading U.S. and Canadian nutrition experts. More than 250 websites have been rated and posted on the Navigator.

Each site is rated and scored on content and usability. The evaluators score content based on accuracy and depth of nutrition information, and when the site was last updated. Because accuracy is so important, a site receiving an accuracy score of 6 points or less (out of a possible 10) is automatically rated "Not Recommended." Usability is scored on the effectiveness and clarity of navigation tools, accessibility and timeliness of information, and download time. The highest possible total score is 25 points.

The Navigator lists reviewed websites on a summary page and on individual review pages. On the summary page, sites are listed in order of overall score, with sites rated "Among The Best" listed first, followed by "Better Than Most," "Average," and "Not Recommended." From the summary page, hyperlinks connect the user to all individual website review pages, which include date reviewed, site name, overall rating/score, sponsor, type of organization, intended audiences, sections reviewed, ratings for content and usability, and commentary. From the review pages, hyperlinks connect to the actual websites (except for those "Not Recommended").

Users can identify reviewed websites by key word search or by selecting among eight categories of nutrition information or audience:

  • general nutrition
  • special dietary needs
  • parents
  • women
  • kids
  • journalists
  • health professionals
  • educators

The Tufts University School of Nutrition Science and Policy developed the Tufts University Nutrition Navigator, which is underwritten by a grant from Kraft Foods, Inc. Tufts reviews and updates participating websites quarterly to maintain currency. If you would like to have your site reviewed, or would like to resubmit a reviewed site after an update, you can submit a request through the Navigator.