The World Wide Web (WWW) and the OC Library collection make it is easy to obtain information. It is more difficult to identify sources you can rely on. Evaluate your information sources carefully to be sure you've selected material that is both trustworthy and appropriate for your assignnment.
Use this checklist (5Ws + IH) to help you evaluate your sources:
| . | Scholarly Academic Publications | Popular Publications |
|
Author (Who?) |
Written by an expert in the field of study (an academic or trained specialist) | Written by those without expertise in the field (a member of the public or journalist) or no author is stated |
|
Date (When?) |
Date of publication is provided | Popular publications, especially WWW publications, often do not give a date of publication |
|
Publisher (Who / Where?) |
Colleges/Universities, professional associations, scholarly publishers + research institutes | Commercial for-profit publishers or members of the public |
|
Purpose (What / Why?) |
To report on experiments, theories, case studies + other research | To sell advertised products, inform, promote a point of view or entertain |
|
Editing (Who?) |
Peer review by experts in the field | Review by a generalist (a magazine editor) or no review |
|
Documentation (What?) |
Sources used in the author's research are cited in a reference list or footnotes | Sources are rarely cited or are inaccurate |
|
Other (How?) |
Accurate spelling + grammar, few advertisements, logical + well written |
Spelling + grammar errors may occur, many advertisements, poor or variable writing quality |
HealthLinkBC Go to Illness and Conditions to learn about common health concerns and how to prevent or treat them
BC Ministry of Health Clinical practice guidelines and protocols in British Columbia (BC Guidelines for health practitioners & professionals). Browse by alphabetical listing. Download PDF Guides for Patients
BC Centre for Disease Control Health Info > Disease types
Health Canada Diseases and conditions
Public Health Agency of Canada Chronic diseases Infectious diseases
Merck manual: The Merck manual of diagnosis and therapy (Professional & Consumer Versions)
MedlinePlus (US National Library of Medicine) Health topics with Patient Handouts
Mayo Clinic Go to Patient Care and Health Information then Diseases and Conditions
BC Health Authorities including Interior Health Authority [IHA]
Canada Benefits (use the benefits finder tool on this website)
Public Health Agency of Canada (Aging & Seniors)
Canadian Association of Retired Persons [CARP]
Canadian Association on Gerontology
Canadian Centre for Activity and Aging
Canadian National Institute of the Blind [CNIB]
Cerebral Palsy Association of BC
Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada
Lung Association of Canada British Columbia Lung Association
Lupus Canada Lupus Society (BC)
Parkinson Canada American Parkinson Disease Association [APDA]
Stroke Recovery Association of BC
For a list of disease-specific organizations in BC, you may also check this link to :
Self-Management British Columbia Community Resources
This site is maintained by the librarians of Okanagan College Library.
If you wish to comment on an individual page, please contact that page's author.
If you have a question or comment about Okanagan College Library's LibGuides site as a whole, please contact the site administrator.