Evaluation process

New websites

WHO evaluates new candidates for inclusion in the VSN on a rolling basis. Please note that not all websites are eligible to join the VSN.

Screening criteria

Inclusion criteria

The website:

Should have a public health focus
Contains information on vaccine safety
If member registration is required, registration and information are free of charge
Website adopts the VSN logo¹

Exclusion criteria

The following websites are not eligible to join the VSN:

Corporate websites.
Websites owned by institutions considered to be “nonstate actors”² must disclose all relevant information³ about themselves regarding their engagement with tobacco and arms industry. WHO does not engage with the tobacco industry or non-State actors that work to further the interests of the tobacco industry. WHO also does not engage with the arms industry.
 Corporate websites.

¹ If embedding a script is an issue, provide link to VSN portal. The PVG Team will contact the focal points of the sites that are not allowed to include external links

²Nonstate actors as defined by WHO (name the resolution or any other policy document) include nongovernmental organizations, private-sector entities, philanthropic foundations and academic institutions.

³Arms-Tobacco Disclosure Statement to be completed before official welcome of the website/institution.

The VSN evaluation process unfolds in the following manner:

If you feel that your site meets the GACVS criteria outlined above, kindly download the VSN application form, complete it, and send it to

VSN application form

WHO will then conduct a preliminary assessment of your website. If your website meets the screening criteria then WHO will conduct a formal assessment.

During the formal assessment, your website will be evaluated against the revised criteria for good information practices by a team comprised of the VSN coordinator and one or more external consultants.

The evaluation team will send you feedback regarding any areas that require clarification or improvements in order to meet the GACVS criteria as well as a set of recommendations to assist you in meeting these criteria. When applicable, the WHO evaluation team will provide examples illustrating different ways that VSN members have addressed each recommendation.

Once the identified issues have been addressed to the satisfaction of the evaluators, WHO will add your web site to the list of VSN members.

Formal assessment criteria

Credibility

Mandatory criteria

Content, quality and quantity

Mandatory criteria

Accessibility and design

Desired criteria

How much time is allotted to implement the WHO recommendations?

Websites are given an initial six-week period in which to implement the WHO recommendations. The evaluation team will provide you with a specific due date. Once you have made the requisite changes to the website and notified the evaluation team, they will review the changes and send any additional feedback, clarifications and/or final recommendations. You will have an additional six weeks in which to complete these final changes to the website.

If you have limited human resources or face other obstacles that will result in significant delays, the evaluation team will work with you to establish a timeline better suited to your specific needs.

What are the benefits of joining the VSN?

Participation in the VSN may raise your website’s profile and enhance its credibility. Once you have successfully completed the evaluation process, your website will be added to the roster of more than 100 VSN members worldwide that provide reliable information on vaccine safety. Some VSN members place a notice on their site indicating that they have been evaluated by WHO and found to meet the criteria for good information practices with regard to content, credibility, accessibility and design. Many VSN sites link to those of other members, thus driving more user traffic and increase browsers’ ranking.

May I use the WHO logo on our VSN approved website?

You are encouraged to include the VSN logo as well as a description of the VSN and link to the VSN website, however, use of the WHO logo is not permitted as a matter of policy.

How long is the evaluation process?

The length of the evaluation/re-evaluation process varies greatly depending on a number of factors including response times on the part of both the website and the evaluation team; human resources available to implement WHO recommendations; and internal approvals required by some organizations before they can make specific changes to their site. The speediest evaluation was completed in less than two weeks, while some of the longest evaluations have taken well over one year. Please see FAQ ‘a’ for specific guidelines regarding the length of time allotted to address WHO recommendations.

We received numerous recommendations from the evaluation team, is this a sign that our website is not a strong candidate for inclusion in the VSN?

WHO only evaluates websites that are viable candidates for the VSN. This means that the evaluation team agrees in agreement that your website is a valuable resource and already meets many of the GACVS criteria. The recommendations are intended to serve as guidance to help you meet the remaining criteria. Upon review you may find that some of the recommendations are based on minor oversights during the web development process and relatively easy to address, for example, adding a site map or including contact information. There is no correlation between the number of recommendations you receive and the quality of your site.