Research guide health

The C. B. Newton Library

Research Guide - Health -

Picture: Google Images

The recommendations listed below represent some, but certainly not all, of the library resources worth exploring as you begin a research assignment in this subject area. Please consult your teacher and/or librarian for further suggestions.

Print Resources: Reference Collections

Begin with encyclopedias and reference works specific to your subject matter:

Call #	Title

QH302.5 E53 2001	Encyclopedia of Life Sciences
RA644 A25 E5276 1998	Encyclopedia of AIDS
RC112 T87 1998	Encyclopedia of Infectious Diseases
RA776 M174 1999	Macmillan Health Encyclopedia
RC41 M34 1996	Magill's Medical Guide: Health and Illness
RC81 M535 1997	Merck Manual (Home Edition)
RC55 M4 1999	Merck Manual
RC564 S8372	Substance Abuse Sourcebook
RC454.4 M458 1999	Mental Health Disorders Sourcebook
RC535 D63 1989	Encyclopedia of Phobias, Fears and Anxieties
RC81 A2 M336 1998	Encyclopedia of Family Health
RC41 G35 1999	Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
RB155.5 G35 2001	Gale Encyclopedia of Genetic Disorders

Print Resources: Circulating Collections

Use the library Library Catalog (IPAC) to find additional resources from the circulating collections. Subject headings in library catalogs follow standardized formats, in Pingry’s case Library of Congress Subject Headings. Plan your searches thinking about this organization.

Sample Subject Headings:

Health - Public opinion; Hygiene - Public opinion; Health - study and teaching;
Diseases - influence on history

Search by specific category:

Disease - AIDS; Phobias-heights; Addiction-tobacco

Subject keyword search:

Allows you to use your own language, e.g
contraception and teens finds related articles.

Electronic Databases:

Access Science	Online version of the McGraw Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology, a great starting place for researching scientific subjects.
EBSCOHost	Periodical articles and abstracts
Proquest	Periodical articles and abstracts, including the New York Times.
Encyclopedia Britannica Online	General background information.
Encyclopedia of the Life Sciences	Covering many aspects of biological science, this is the online version of the printed encyclopedia also available in the library.
Facts-on-file	General information on science
GaleNet	Discovering Collection and Opposing Viewpoints both provide health-related materia.
Lexis Nexis Scholastic	Includes major U.S. and international newspapers; leading magazines, wire services and broadcast news transcripts.
SIRS Knowledge Source	SIRS Government Reporter and SIRS Researcher provide full-text government documents, reports, articles and web sites.
World Book Online	General background information.

Internet Resources:

Centers for Disease Control	This is a government agency that includes links and a wide variety of content.
HealthyNJ	New Jersey healthcare sites, health and research information
Healthfinder	Free gateway to reliable consumer health information, developed by the US Dept. of Health and Human Services
Dr. Koop's Community	Dr. Koop's efforts to promote better health behaviors and preventive care.
MayoClinic.com	Health information from the experts at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
National Cancer Institute	This is the best cancer web site and is sponsored by the National Cancer Institute.
American Cancer Society	The American Cancer Society provides information for patients, survivors, information seekers and professionals.
Food and Drug Administration	Consumer information from the federal agency that regulates drugs and medical devices.

Additional information

Before beginning: The following suggestions apply to the research process in general and not just to researching on the Internet. A good experience in research is the product of a planned, organized, and systematic approach to the entire process.

Think about the topic. Develop a focus.
What is it you need to know?
Who is the intended audience?
What type of report is demanded?
Develop a list of keywords. Find synonyms in a thesaurus.
Look for related subject terms in the library catalog and indexes.
Follow the steps of the research process as recommended in such guides as the Cornell University Libraries.

Using the Internet…

The Internet as a research tool is one part of the process of information gathering necessary for successful investigation of a topic. In exploring Internet resources, remember that it is best to first look in the subscription services available to you at the

Recommended Search Engines and Meta-Search Engines:
No one search engine has indexed the entire web. Each search engine uses a program, referred to as a “spider,” that visits web pages searching for terms.

All The Web
Google
Kartoo
Ask
Vivisimo

Recommended Directories:
Unlike search engines, directories are composed by people who evaluate the content of web sites and organize them into broad subject categories.

Librarian's Index to the Internet
Internet Public Library
Virtual Reference Desk (NJ State Library)
Resource Discovery Network
Yahoo

Citing Internet Resources
Consult the Pingry Manual of Style for acceptable citation formats.

Plagiarism:
A few guidelines in this regard

Plagiarism: What It Is and How to Recognize and Avoid It (University of Indiana)
What is Plagiarism? (Georgetown University)
Avoiding Plagiarism (Purdue University OWL-Online Writing Lab)

Back to The C.B. Newton Library

Last updated
05/09/2007