LibGuides: Health Care Assistant: Reference Sources

Getting Started

Reference Sources

Also known as background sources, reference sources include:

Encyclopedias (including online sources such as Wikipedia)
Dictionaries
Handbooks
Directories
Manuals, etc.

Reference sources are great for getting started on your research, especially if the topic you are researching is unfamiliar to you. They can be excellent sources of factual information, concepts, theories, definitions, and terminology, and can lead to references to find more sources of information.

Gale Encyclopedia of Mental Health
Call Number: EBOOK
Publication Date: 2012
Provides authoritative and comprehensive information on topics in mental health, including diseases and disorders (such as dementia, Alzheimer's, Parkinson), drugs, alternative treatments, psychiatric assessments, and related concepts. Written in language accessible to adult laypersons, it aims to fill the gap between basic consumer resources and highly technical professional materials such as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).
Gale Encyclopedia of Genetic Disorders
Call Number: EBOOK
Publication Date: 2016
Provides clear, complete information on genetic disorders, including conditions, tests, procedures, treatments and therapies, in articles that are both comprehensive and easy to understand in language accessible to laypersons.
Gale Encyclopedia of Children's Health: Infancy through Adolescence
Call Number: EBOOK
Publication Date: 2016
Provides in-depth coverage of pediatric diseases and disorders, along with issues related to physical, cognitive and behavioral development. Covers every major body system. With an emphasis on health issues affecting children under the age of four.
Encyclopedia of Elder Care
Call Number: EBOOK
Publication Date: 2013
Provides comprehensive, yet succinct, entries on a variety of topics related to elder care and geriatrics written at an undergraduate level and useful for practitioners, students, and caregivers.

The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy
Opens to Professional version, switch to Consumer version for content in everyday language and suitable for patient education.
Professional Guide to Diseases
Call Number: EBOOK
Publication Date: 2012
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5)
Call Number: Reference RC 455.2 .C4 D536 2013
PRINT BOOK. Available in all campus libraries