^WC = Wellesley College users only.

Find background information

News
EurekAlert: Medicine & Health. (AAAS). Coverage:1996 onward.
Lexis Nexis Academic Medical News ^WC Online news articles; coverage dates vary.
New York Times: Health. Free registration required.
More news resources.

Dictionaries

Scientific:
Dictionary of Chemistry.^WC Oxford University Press, 2004.
Biotech Life Science Dictionary Definitions from cell biology and more.
chemfinder.com Structure, physical properties, links.

Medical:
Glossary of Terms and Symbols Used in Pharmacology
Merriam Webster Medical Dictionary
Oxford Reference Online ^WC Online scientific (and other) dictionaries published by Oxford Univ. Press.

Encyclopedias
Access Science,^WC the online version of the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology.
Chemistry: Foundations and Applications. Science Reference q QD4 .C48 2004.

Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine. 2nd ed., 2005.^WC
Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine. 3d ed., 2006.^WC

Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. Science Reference q RS164 .C4437 1996.
Medicinal Plants of the World. Science Reference RS164 .V295 2004.

Handbooks/Guides
Merck Manual of Medical Information: Second Home Edition. Succinct. Diseases/disorder profiles; some drug info.
MedlinePlus guides/pathfinders to concise, reputable, web-based explanations of diseases, drugs, etc.

Drug descriptions:
American Pharmaceutical Association Practical Guide to Natural Medicines. Science Reference RM666 .H33 P45 1999. Drug effects of herbs/spices.
Merck Index Online ^WC (2006). Online encyclopedia of drugs and chemicals; see annotated Literature References.
Physicians' desk reference:
...-- PDR. Science Reference RS51 .P5 2006. ...-- Herbal Meds. Science Ref RS164 .P375 2004.
PDRhealth Abbreviated, layperson-accessible version.

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Find books

Wellesley College Library catalog Books, journal titles (NOT individual articles), and more.
PubMed Bookshelf Searchable e-texts in biochemistry, global health, and more.
National Academies Press. Free .html versions; more than 3,500 online books. Browse Health and Medicine category.

Nearby library catalogs. Links to other local libraries.
WorldCat (via FirstSearch platform)^WC OCLC catalog of books & journals available in libraries worldwide.

Interlibrary Loan (ILL) is a service from which members of the Wellesley College community can request a journal article (book, book chapter, technical report, etc.)--without charge--that is not available at Wellesley in any format.

• Takes about 1-3 weekdays to receive journal article, a little longer for other formats.
• Requires a one-time free registration (ILLIAD) to provide contact info and preferences.
• Since NExpress is a quicker, local component of interlibrary loan, its request form shows up inside when you need something which Wellesley does not own.
• If NExpress cannot find an item, it automatically continues to search the request via your existing ILL / ILLIAD account (many libraries worldwide).
• Questions? Contact AskUs or the Interlibrary Loan office.

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Finding articles and essays

The following databases provide either online articles or citations (information about when/where the article was published).
Once you have an article citation,

Use the Find It! @ Wellesley link from each citation to reach one or more electronic journal sources or perform a search in the Wellesley College Library Catalog.

If Wellesley does not own the title, request it via Interlibrary Loan (ILL)^WC. (For ILL details, see 'Find Books')

Start with these:

Wilson Web databases ^WCSelect : General Sciences FullText, Omni Fulltext MegaFile, and Social Sciences FullText. (Some online articles, 1990's +.)
Biology Digest (Cambridge Scientific Abstracts) ^WC covers general scientific periodical articles from 1989 onward.

For more depth, try

JSTOR. ^WC Online archive of older journals, from vol.1; not the most recent years. Select subject categories.
PubMed. Abstracts of articles in all fields of medicine. Coverage:1950's +. PubMed Basics brochure. Short Tutorial.
ScienceDirect ^WC Online journal articles (150 subscribed science journals; subscribed=green icon at issue level). Coverage: from 1995+.
Chemical & Drug Information portal (U.S. National Library of Medicine).

Other databases may be useful for you, depending on your specific topic and approach. See 'Local help' below.

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How to Evaluate Web Sites and Cite Sources

When you visit a new web site, evaluate it for Accuracy, Authority, Objectivity, Currency, Coverage, and Ease of use. See Table at "Teaching Undergrads Web Evaluation." C & RL News, July/August 1998. Volume 59 No.7. Accessed 19 Feb 2007. http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlpubs/crlnews/backissues1998/julyaugust6/teachingundergrads.htm

How to Cite Sources:
ACS [American Chemical Society] Style Guide. Science Reference QD8.5 .A25 2006.
A Short Guide to Writing about Chemistry. Science Reference QD9.15 .B43 2001.
More citation style guides (MLA, Chicago, etc.)

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Key Web Sites

Cosmetics
Cosmetics & Personal Care Products Content (Environmental Working Group).
Personal Care Products (from the Household Products Database, U.S. National Library of Medicine).

Drugs
The Brain and the Actions of Cocaine, Opiates and Marijuana (U.S. NIDA).
Toxicology Tutorials (U.S. National Library of Medicine).

Herbal medicine
Herbal Medicine (a MEDLINEplus pathfinder) Links to short articles and/or essays from reputable sources. Automatic retrieval of recent MEDLINE references on the topic.
Spices: Exotic Flavors and Medicines (UCLA), shows the similarities between the spice rack and the medicine cabinet. Learn about the history, geographic distribution, medicinal and botanical information for more than twenty herbs and spices.

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Local help

Research librarians, Irene Laursen and Neil Nero, are happy to help you with your searching. Come visit us at the Science Reference Desk.
Science Library hours of operation and a floor plan (Ground Floor includes Periodicals and Reference; Mezzanine has books).
Need help with library jargon? Try the University of Michigan's Library glossary

• Irene Laursen, Wellesley College Library, Information Services.
• Date Created: January 2003
• Date Modified: February 28, 2007
• Expires: September 1, 2007