Wikipedia:WikiProject Consumer Reports/citation

This page discusses some issues in citing health alerts.

Many reputable organizations publish health alerts which explain in clear terms various health issues as part of public health education campaigns. These alerts often present some fact with a citation, and are themselves worth citing because of the way they state the information and because they come with an organizational backing which fulfills the Wikipedia community's requests for reliable sources.

The problem with health alerts is that they frequently are difficult to cite. This page discusses the example case of a particular health campaign.

Issues

Health alerts frequently have the following characteristics:

good

1. Present good information
2. Have the backing of a respected, authoritative organization

bad

1. title of publication is often ambiguous
2. author's identity is ambiguous
3. publisher's identity is ambiguous
4. lacking date or version control
5. no guarantee of permanence in content
6. no guarantee that its URL will not rot

The good characteristics make people want to share the information; the bad characteristics make it difficult to create a citation for the information.

Examples

Here is an example citation template which would need fields completed.

{{Citation 
| author= 
| date = 
| title = 
| publisher = 
| work =
| page = 
| url = 
| accessdate = }}

CW, list of 5

Consider this list of 5 recommendations from the CW campaign.

Here is an example of a proper citation for this.

{{Citation 
| author = American Academy of Family Physicians
| authorlink = American Academy of Family Physicians
| others = presented by [[ABIM Foundation]]
| date = April 2012
| title = Five Things Physicians and Patients Should Question
| publisher = [[American Academy of Family Physicians]]
| work = CW
| page = 
| url = http://choosingwisely.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/5things_12_factsheet_Amer_Acad_Fam_Phys.pdf
| accessdate = July 30, 2012}}

Completing the template in that way generates this citation:

American Academy of Family Physicians (April 2012), "Five Things Physicians and Patients Should Question" (PDF), CW, presented by ABIM Foundation, American Academy of Family Physicians, retrieved July 30, 2012

CW, information sheet

Consider this information sheet from the CW campaign.

Here is my best guess of how to properly cite, for example, the AFP's "list of 5" document:

{{Citation 
| author1 = Consumer Reports
| author2 = American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology
| author1-link = Consumer Reports
| author2-link = American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology
| others = presented by [[ABIM Foundation]]
| date = July 2012
| title = Allergy tests - When you need them—and when you don’t
| publisher = [[Consumer Reports]]
| work = CW
| page = 
| url = http://consumerhealthchoices.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/ChoosingWiselyAllergyTestsAAAAI.pdf
| accessdate = August 14, 2012}}

Completing the template in that way generates this citation:

Consumer Reports; American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (July 2012), "Allergy tests - When you need them—and when you don't" (PDF), CW, presented by ABIM Foundation, Consumer Reports, retrieved August 14, 2012{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

HVC

Consider this information sheet from the HVC campaign.

Here is my best guess of how to properly cite, for example, the HVC's document:

{{Citation 
| author1 = Consumers Union; Consumer Reports
| author2 = American College of Physicians
| author1-link = Consumers Union|Consumer Reports
| author2-link = American College of Physicians
| others = presented by [[ABIM Foundation]]
| date = May 2012
| title = Imaging tests for lower-back pain: Why you probably don’t need them. 
| publisher = [[Consumers Union|Consumer Reports]]
| work = HVC
| page = 
| url = http://consumerhealthchoices.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/High-Value-Care-Back-Pain-ACP.pdf
| accessdate = July 30, 2012}}

Completing the template in that way generates this citation:

Consumers Union; Consumer Reports; American College of Physicians (May 2012), "Imaging tests for lower-back pain: Why you probably don't need them." (PDF), HVC, presented by ABIM Foundation, Consumer Reports, retrieved July 30, 2012{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

Questions about these examples

Here are some questions about citing this document.

1. Who is the author?
2. Who is the publisher?
3. What is the name of the work?
4. What is the title of the media being cited?
5. Is there a page number?
6. Is there a date associated with it?
7. Notice that the url has a date in it. This means that if the document is ever updated then this link may disappear. Is this the best url to use?
8. In the case of CW articles, what should one think about all documents in this series having the same title? Do they all have the same title?

Resolution

After talking with people at Consumer Reports it was determined that the organization was unfamiliar with this kind of use of its work. The below are models demonstrating the best practices.

• American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, "Five Things Physicians and Patients Should Question" (PDF), Choosing Wisely: an initiative of the ABIM Foundation, American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, retrieved August 14, 2012{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
• Consumer Reports Health Best Buy Drugs, "The Oral Diabetes Drugs: Treating Type 2 Diabetes" (PDF), Best Buy Drugs, Consumer Reports, retrieved September 18, 2012