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SPATing Websites
SPAT is a research tested mnemonic tool for evaluating the reliability of a website's content.
The mnemonic stands for Site, Publisher, Audience, Timeliness.
The SPAT criteria help judge reliability of electronic resources not specifically recommended by the course director or the RLML.
Site: What kind of site is it?
Publisher: Who wrote this content and do they provide contact information? Look for an “About Us” section.
Audience: Who is the site written for?
Timeliness: When was the last time it was updated? Is this information current?
IUSM recommends using AMA or Vancouver style for citing your sources. They are very similar styles, so the key is to be consistent when citing sources if you choose to use one over the other.