TABLE 2. Other Nonprofit Entities That Share Health Information (Excluding Health Care Organizations, Health Plans, Government Organizations, and Public Health Departments).

Organization Type	Definition	Credibility Observations [a]
Independent organizations or advisory panels that create evidence-based guidance (e.g., “blue ribbon” panels	Entities in this category produce evidence-based conclusions or recommendations at the request of the government or other entities to inform the development of public or organizational policy and practice. An example of an organization in this category is the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.	These entities generally synthesize information from multiple sources and incorporate consensus processes, peer review, and measures to address bias and conflict of interest. These organizations typically do not engage in lobbying or advertising and maintain strict independence from funding organizations.
Professional associations or societies [b]	Organizations in this category exist to advance the interests of a given field through development of professional standards, supportive policies, and research, among other functions. Most have paying members. An example of an organization in this category is the American Public Health Association.	Many professional associations and societies engage in research or analysis that generally meets the standards for the creation, review, and presentation of scientific content. These organizations also tend to follow rigorous process to maintain transparency and accountability to their members and others in their field. However, many engage in advocacy or lobbying activities on behalf of member interests or mission-specific issues. Credibility assessments should ensure these activities are disclosed and kept separate from the presentation of relevant health information.
Advisory organizations or think tanks	Organizations in this category employ experts and researchers in order to comprehensively monitor and provide opinions and guidance on a given subject or group of subjects. Opinions and guidance are given in the form of media interviews, speeches, news articles, journal articles, books and reports, and beyond. Some may use consensus or peer review processes. An example of an organization in this category is the RAND Corporation.	Many of these organizations engage in research or analysis that generally meets the standards for the creation, review, and presentation of scientific content. However, many think tanks have political biases. Further, many employ scholars or experts who share personal opinions without content oversight from the organization. Credibility assessments should ensure these activities are disclosed and strive to separate ideological messages from relevant health information, as well as examine the knowledge generation processes of these organizations.
Health industry groups	Organizations in this category exist to advance the interest of a given health industry through development of standards, supportive policies, and research, among other functions. Most have paying members. An example of an organization in this category is the American Hospital Association.	Many health industry groups engage in research or analysis that generally meets the standards for the creation, review, and presentation of scientific content. However, many engage in advocacy or lobbying activities on behalf of member interests or mission-specific issues. Although health industry groups may be nonprofit, they represent for-profit interests. Credibility assessments should ensure these activities are disclosed and that profit motives are kept separate from the presentation of relevant health information.
Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)	NGOs are mission-driven organizations that seek to advance social, political, or humanitarian goals domestically and globally. Many rely on donations. An example of an organization in this category is Partners in Health.	Some NGOs engage in advocacy or lobbying on behalf of mission-specific goals. Some seek to advance political or religious ideologies. Credibility assessments should ensure these activities are disclosed and kept separate from the presentation of relevant health information.
Foundations	Organizations in this category provide funding (through grants or gifts) and other forms of support for nonprofit organizations to advance common goals within the foundation’s area of interest. An example of an organization in this category is the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.	Foundations may fund and share research and analysis that generally meet the standards for the creation, review, and presentation of scientific content. These organizations usually require rigorous planning and evaluation of the projects they choose to support and generally provide some degree of public transparency in their investments. Foundations may incorporate ideological messages, which should be kept separate from the presentation of relevant health information.
Patient or disease advocacy groups	Organizations in this category exist to advance the interests of patients and their loved ones, generally or in relation to a specific disease or condition. They do so through raising awareness, investing in research, and providing direct support to patients and families, among other functions. Many rely on donations. An example of an organization in this category is the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.	These organizations may fund and share research and analysis that generally meet the standards for the creation, review, and presentation of scientific content. However, many patient or disease groups engage in advocacy or lobbying activities. Credibility assessments should ensure these activities are disclosed and kept separate from the presentation of relevant health information.
Community health organizations	Organizations in this category exist to advance the health of a given community by raising awareness, fostering engagement, and connecting community members with resources, among other functions. In many cases, these groups focus on culturally competent communication and involve community members in planning and decision making. An example of an organization in this category is DC Health Matters.	Community health organizations may command a high degree of trust among their constituents and therefore serve as important sources of health information. However, there is tremendous variation among these organizations, requiring a high degree of granularity in credibility assessments.
News organizations	Nonprofit news organizations [c] include independent newspapers, magazines, websites, radio or audio networks, and more. An example of an organization in this category is National Public Radio.	News organizations generally use citations and date labels, post corrections and allow for public comment opportunities, exercise editorial independence from funders, and more. However, credibility assessments should keep in mind that many news organizations have political biases and may prioritize attention-grabbing stories over the objective presentation of science-based information.

^[a]Observations in this column consider the authors’ principles and credibility attributes in light of the general practices and characteristics of selected organization types.

^[b]Note that some political advocacy groups have names similar to those of professional associations, such as the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons.

^[c]Nonprofit news organizations are specified in accordance with the scope of this paper, described in section “Scope”. However, for-profit news organizations (and other for-profit entities) are also influential sources of health information and can be difficult to distinguish from nonprofit sources. The credibility attributes and observations laid out in this paper may also be useful in assessing the credibility of for-profit news organizations, as well as other for-profit sources.