Find background

Research cycle
Cycle of scientific literature - primary, secondary, tertiary ([no date given]; http://iws.ohiolink.edu/chemistry/info/cycle.html Accessed August 31, 2007)
Peer-review (Linux Information Project (c) 2005; http://linfo.org/peer_review.html Accessed September 9, 2007)
Open Access (Peter Suber, (CC-A 2.5 license), December 29, 2004; http://www.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/brief.htm Accessed September 9, 2007)

Reference works (online or print) can be used to acquire basic information on an unfamiliar concept or to gather ideas for your topic.

Quick lookups:
AccessScience - dictionary and encyclopedia
Deciphering Medspeak - Medical Library Association
Melloni's Illustrated Medical Dictionary - Science Reference q R121 .D76 2002
Oxford Reference Online - More than 100 dictionaries - Adjust pulldown menu of search field to 'Entry Heading'

Longer explanations:
Encyclopedia of Human Biology - 2nd ed - Science Reference q QP11 .E53 1997
Encyclopedia of Human Nutrition Online
Encyclopedia of Sports Science - Science Reference q GV558 .E53 1997

Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine - 3rd ed - 2006
Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine - 2nd ed - 2005

Online Guides:
Merck Manual of Medical Information Home Edition - human physical and emotional disorders - especially diagnosis, treatment, prevention and control
Merck Manual of Health & Aging - medical, social, legal, and ethical issues of human aging

Drugs:
PDR: Physicians' Desk Reference - Science Reference RS51 .P5 - manufacturers' drug descriptions incl side effects, dosage, warnings, etc - use with caution
PDRhealth.com - drug information - clinical trials - caution: some unlabelled advertising
RxList - more than 4,000 drugs available in the USA or close to US FDA approval

News:
BBC Science & Nature: Human Body & Mind
World Health News - Harvard Univ School of Public Health

MedlinePlus: News by Health Topic

Find books

Wellesley College Library Catalog

• tip: in the library catalog, start with keyword > choose a useful book > Full Record tab - follow the subject links to find more on that topic
• tip: to see the subscription details for a print journal or serial ['Lib has'] > Full Record tab.

Find journal articles

The following databases provide either full-text articles or citations (information about when and where the peer-reviewed article was published).

• Once you have a citation for an article, use the Find It! @ Wellesleylink from each citation to search one or more electronic journal sources through the Wellesley College Library Catalog.
• Use the name of the journal as the title and make sure you look at the dates covered carefully!
• If Wellesley does not own the article, you can request it via Interlibrary Loan (ILL).

Popular & scientific articles - great places to start your search:
Academic Search Premier - dates vary, from mid-1970s to within 6-12 months of present date - Off-campus Link
Expanded Academic ASAP - 1980s to present - Off-campus Link

Scientific American Archive - 1993-present - interdisciplinary science magazine - overview - Off-campus Link

Google Scholar - multidisciplinary - covers journal articles, theses, books, preprints - complements but does not replace other searching - use with caution - unspecified time coverage & breadth/depth of sources - Advanced Scholar Search Tips

More databases - cover peer-reviewed articles
PubMed - 1950-present - article abstracts - all fields of medicine and biomedicine - links to more NLM (National Library of Medicine) resources - PubMed Basics brochure
Science Direct - indexes more than 2,000 journals, often from volume one; online articles available for titles with green icons from 1995- present - Help pages
Web of Science - interdisciplinary subject searching - physical, life, and social sciences - also can search for articles that cite known journal articles or books - 1900-present - Tutorial - Off-campus Link

Please consult a Science Librarian for more help.

Key web sites

Consumer Health - College Students
Go Ask Alice! - from Columbia University health educators - Q & A format - nonjudgmental, factual answers
Noah: New York Online Access to Health, Bilingual [English and Spanish] site - content provided by librarians and health professionals working together
Health Tips for Wellesley Women - Wellesley College Health Service - Student Services

General Consumer Health
IntelliHealth - Harvard Medical School and the Univ of Pennsylvania Dental School - ads clearly labelled
WholeHealthMD.com - integrative medicine = combination of traditional/conventional medicine and alternative/complementary health care
healthfinder.gov - reliable health information for informed laypersons - no advertising or sponsorships

Health Topics - MedlinePlus - reputable sources for healthcare consumers - exhaustive list of common medical disorders and diseases - no advertising

**Remember, you must evaluate web resources that you find with a search engine the same way you would evaluate print sources**

General criteria by which to evaluate webpages

1. Accuracy: How factual is the web page? Are the facts well-documented?
2. Authority: What are the professional credentials of the authors? Can you recognize the difference between a webpage author and a webmaster?
3. Objectivity: Pros and cons? Are there conflicting interests? Is the page advocating a cause? Who is the intended audience?
4. Currency: Is the page being updated regularly? How current is it now?
5. Coverage: Does the page require special software to view it? Is there a fee to view it, or is it free? Is the information presented cited correctly?
6. Ease of Use: Is the page easy to navigate? Are directions straightforward? If it is not easy to use, visitors will leave the site quickly.

Health-specific criteria for Web Surfing

1. MedlinePlus: Guide to Healthy Web Surfing (concise sheet)
   
2. 10 Things to Know about Evaluating Medical Resources on the Web (expanded version)

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Return to Research Guides by Subject: Biological Sciences

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