Before you jump right into your research, make sure you have a clear idea of what you’re looking for first. Giving a detailed description of a disease, its causes, treatments, and other information within a three-page paper may be difficult. You may wish to narrow your topic to deal with only one part of the issue, if your professor agrees.
A great resource for general to in-depth information on numerous health issues is MedlinePlus. Information at this site is meant for consumers but can also be very useful to healthcare professionals. This federal government Website from the National Library of Medicine offers overviews of health topics and links to numerous additional resources reviewed by the folks at the National Library of Medicine for credibility. You can also find drug information, interactive tutorials, online videos, and a lot more. This is a great resource for healthcare professionals to recommend to their patients.
Another useful online tool to use when finding out more about a particular health topic is Google US Government Search. This tool searches only federal and state Websites. While not perfect, these sites are usually fairly credible.
In addition, you can also access an online version of the Merck Manual Medical Library and search for various conditions without having to enter login information. Just go to http://www.merck.com/mmpe/index.html and search using the keyword, alphabetical browsing, and condition-specific tools at the left of the page.
If you are able to come to Hunter Library or another library with these resources, here are a few excellent resources for gaining a better understanding of a topic, narrowing your topic, or just reading generally about a subject area:
This five volume 2006 encyclopedia offers information about numerous medical conditions and topics included in this wide-reaching resource includes: description, etiology, prognosis, treatment, etc. It is located in the WCU Reference section on the library’s main floor (to the left of the Reference Desk) at call number RC41.G35.
This authoritative 2007 resource provides professional-level information on diseases and their treatments. It is located in the WCU Reference section on the library’s main floor (to the left of the Reference Desk) at call number RM101.C872.
American Medical Association Concise Medical Encyclopedia
This 2006 resource is a good general reference for healthcare. It is located in the WCU Reference section on the library’s main floor (to the left of the Reference Desk) at call number RC81.A2 A498.
Encyclopedia of Human Nutrition
This four volume 2005 encyclopedia from Elsevier offers wide-reaching information on nutrition. It is located in the WCU Reference section on the library’s main floor (to the left of the Reference Desk) at call number QP141.E526.
This 2006 resource provides an overview of clinical tests and their uses. It is located in the WCU Reference section on the library’s main floor (to the left of the Reference Desk) at call number RB38.2 .P34.
AS ALWAYS, PLEASE COME VISIT, CALL (1-866-928-5424), OR OTHERWISE CONTACT THE FOLKS IN REFERENCE IF YOU HAVE TROUBLE.