Question 7: Does it provide details of additional sources of support and information?

What the question is about and why it is important

A good quality publication will enable you to find other sources. Details of other sources of support and information about treatment choices are important, as the publication may not provide you with all the information you need and you should be able to trace further information easily. 

Rating the question

Additional sources of information and support can be reading materials and other organisations, which may be located via printed details or online links. Additional sources are often listed under headings such as "Useful addresses" and "Further reading" (a reference list or bibliography can also be considered further reading).

When rating print or conventional sources, the details provided should enable you to find them easily e.g. name, address and telephone number in the case of an organisation, and author, title, publisher or producer in the case of reading material (and ISBN and date if the material is known to be a book). Similarly, if details of additional online sources are provided, they should enable you to locate them on the internet easily e.g. the name of an organisation and its email address in the case of an online support group or mailing list; and the website address (URL) either in full or as an external link in the case of an online journal article, newsgroup or national self-help organisation. As the internet expands, it is becoming common for print and online publications to provide both types of details.

Many publications provide details of branches of the same organisation. Whilst these may be useful for information about local services, they are unlikely to provide different information about treatment choices, and you should not give a high rating to a publication which only provides these details. 

Guidelines for rating the question:

• 5: Yes - the publication provides full details of any additional source other than local branches of the same organisation.

• 2 - 4: Partially - the publication provides details of an additional source or sources, but the details are incomplete or consist only of local branches of the same organisation.

• 1: No - no additional sources of information are provided.

Examples