• Accessing this Page from Off Campus
• Background Information/Important Concepts
• Finding Articles(professional, consumer, and patient education)
• Finding Books

• Evaluating Internet Resources
• Internet Resources
• Writing, and Citing Sources
• Professional Associations

• Consumer Health Information ~ Books, web sites, and other materials such as "magazines and newsletters written for the public or general consumers of health information." (From Magazines for Libraries by Bill Katz and Linda Sternberg Katz. 9th ed. New Providence, New Jersey: R.R. Bowker, 1997. p. 915.)
 
Examples: 
 
• Consumer Health USA, Reference R616 C758
• PDR Family Guide to Prescription Drugs, Reference R615.1 P111
• Patient's Guide to Medical Tests, Reference R616.075 S454p 
• Fibromyalgia Network (a periodical)
• Alzheimer's Association Newsletter (a periodical)
• AIDS Treatment News (a periodical)
• MedlinePlus ~ Consumer-level medical information.
• Clinical Reference Systems ~ CRS provides consumer-level essays covering adult health, behavioral health, cardiology, drug and medication information, pediatric health, senior health, women’s health and sports medicine. Some entries are in Spanish. (Elmhurst College students, faculty, and staff only).
• USP DI, Volume II, Advice for the Patient ~ Provides consumer-level, patient-oriented drug information. (Elmhurst College students, faculty, and staff only).

 
• Professional Literature ~ Information written for health care professionals. Coverage includes medical and professional topics, as well as related issues such as public health and health policy. 

Examples:

• Lippincott's Nursing Drug Guide, Reference R 615 L765nd
• Professional Guide to Diseases, Reference R 616 P964 1998
• Mosby's Medical, Nursing, and Allied Health Dictionary, Reference R 610.3 M894 1998
• American Journal of Nursing (a periodical/journal)
• Lancet (a periodical/journal)
• Nursing Outlook (a periodical/journal)
• Medscape

Back to the Top

Peer-reviewed ~ "A journal for which manuscripts submitted by potential contributors are evaluated by at least one subject specialist in addition to the editor prior to acceptance for publication. Synonymous with refereed." (From Hypertext Library Lingo: A Dictionary of Library and Information Science (www.wcsu.edu/library/library_lingo.html), 10/21/99.) See also Distinguishing Scholarly Journals from Other Periodicals.

Professional (some consumer-level information is also included)

• ProQuest Nursing Journals (available on campus only). ~ More than 250 leading full-text journals in nursing and allied health.
• CINAHL~ The Cumulative Index to Nursing & Allied Health database provides coverage of the literature related to nursing and allied health. Virtually all English-language publications are indexed along with the publications of the American Nurses Association and the National League for Nursing. Selected journals are also indexed in the areas of consumer health and biomedicine.
• Health Reference Center ~ Provides access to selected full text of nursing and allied health journals, plus a wide variety of personal health information sources: journals, newsletters, pamphlets, reference books and more. The sources include indexing for over 200 (and full text for over 100) journals; 500+ full text pamphlets, and selected health-related articles from an additional 1,500 general interest magazines; full text of six medical reference books.
• Health Source Plus ~ Selected full text for hundreds of consumer-level and some professional-level health periodicals.
• See also professional-level Internet Sources.

• Health Sciences Collection ~ Search three consumer-level health databases simultaneously (Clinical Reference Systems, USP DI, and Health Source Plus).
• Electronic Newspapers ~ Search the Chicago Tribune, New York Times, and other newspapers.
• Nurse's Handbook of Patient Education by Shirin Fali Pestonjee, 2000. Elmhurst College Main Collection, 615.5071P476n2000
• See also consumer-level Internet Sources.

How do I find out if the Elmhurst College Library has the periodical I need?

• Search for the periodical title in Illinet Online.
• For example, search for the title American Journal of Nursing.
• If you don't find the periodical you need, take a look at the list, Alphabetical List of Journals and Magazines Available Online. You can also call or email the reference department to inquire about a specific title or ask a question.

• Use Illinet Online to find books held in the Elmhurst College library as well as books owned by 44 other Illinois academic libraries.

• Keyword searching offers a good way to start looking for books in Illinet Online. Use the main words describing your topic. To find books on chronic disease in children, try the keywords:

chronic disease children
• A more precise way of searching is to use controlled vocabulary. Illinet Online's controlled vocabulary is known as Library of Congress Subject Headings (or LC subject headings). Unlike keywords, you can't simply make these up: you have to find out what the exact terms are and enter them in Illinet as a subject search.
 
Infants (Premature)
Teenage Parents
Teenage Pregnancy
Medical Ethics
Nursing Ethics
Assisted Suicide
Right to Die
Suicide
Euthanasia
Maternity Nursing
Community Health Nursing
AIDS (Disease) in children
HIV infections
• Ordering books from other libraries ~ Illinet Online allows you to request books held by 44 academic libraries in Illinois. 

• Health on the Net HonCode ~ This is an honor code for web sites providing health information. Sample web sites subscribing to the HonCode.

• Five Criteria for Evaluating Web Pages

• Evaluating Web Sites: Criteria and Tools

• National Institutes of Health ~ This huge site provides access to consumer as well as professional information on health issues.

• Medscape ~ Medscape offers professional level information for specialists, primary care physicians, and other health care providers. You have to register to use the site, but it's all free. More information on Medscape.

• Healthfinder ~ Provides access to to selected consumer health and human services information resources provided by U.S. government agencies and other organizations serving the public interest. Consumer level.

• MedlinePlus ~ Targeted at consumers seeking health information, this source includes health information screened by librarians at the National Library of Medicine. The professional equivalent is Medline.

• Mayo Health Clinic ~ The editorial board of this consumer health site ensures information presented on the site is verified by specialists in the area covered. All articles are dated and reviewed every three years to ensure their current accuracy. Conforms to the HonCode.

• Writing Center at Elmhurst College
• Writing-Related Resources

• Using APA Style (American Psychological Association).
• Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. 4th edition. 1994.A.C. Buehler Library, Reference R808.06615 P976 1994. 

Back to the Top

• American Nurses Association
• Illinois Nurses Association