DSCI 321 - Health Analytics Library Research Guide

Lateral reading is a technique whereby the user moves laterally away from a source to evaluate it further, using Internet searches to find additional information and assess its content further. 

One caveat: always remember to fact-check Wikipedia content.  

Evaluating Sources & Critical Thinking

The Internet contains millions of web pages and more information than a single person could ever process. People are very reliant on digital content for their news and entertainment. When people get their information from online news outlets, social media, and online publications, it can be difficult to identify biased or inaccurate sources. You may need to review multiple sources to confirm information or seek out original sources to verify information. 

Questions to consider when evaluating your sources

• Is it relevant to your topic? (Why did it match your search terms)

• Are there clues that tell you the author is an expert on the content? (Credentials & Affiliations)

• Does the information advocate for a particular stance or from a specific angle? (Bias)

• Who created this information? (Is there an identifiable author)

• Is there evidence for any claims made or facts presented? (Methodology & Citations)

• Are there links to sources or references? (Citations)

• Why was this information created? (What career stage are the author(s) at; was it funded research)

• Whose voice does this information represent and amplify? (Has the author(s) written on the subject previously; is there a detectible bias)

• Can you find other reliable sources that corroborate the information? (Methodology and Citations)

• Is the information timely, or does it need to be? Is it historical information? (Date created)

• Who is the audience the content was written for? Is it overly simplified or overly complicated? (Was it created for a general or specialized audience)

• How well was it received? (Impact Factors) 

• Are there better sources that exist on this topic? (Literature Review)

• OC Library Practical Nursing Database A-Z

  44 Research Databases in the OC Library Collection focused on Nursing and Healthcare

• CINAHL

• Medline 

• PubMed 

• Merck 

• CIHI

• Google Scholar

• Health Canada

• Health Canada is responsible for helping Canadians maintain and improve their health. It ensures that high-quality health services are accessible, and works to reduce health risks.

• British Columbia Centre for Disease Control

  The BC Centre for Disease Control, a program of the Provincial Health Services Authority, provides provincial and national leadership in disease surveillance, detection, treatment, prevention and consultation.

• HealthLink BC

  Connecting British Columbians with reliable health information and services. designed for non-medically trained persons.

• ScienceUpFirst

  ScienceUpFirst is a national initiative that works with a collective of independent scientists, researchers, climate and health experts and science communicators. ScienceUpFirst emerged out of a critical need. When the pandemic hit, co-founders Timothy Caulfield and Senator Stan Kutcher saw how misinformation was hurting Canadians. Since ScienceUpFirst started in 2020, we have grown into a funded initiative of the Canadian Association of Science Centres, working to fight misinformation and promote scientific understanding.

• Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI)

  The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) provides comparable and actionable data and information that are used to accelerate improvements in health care, health system performance and population health across Canada. Our stakeholders use our broad range of health system databases, measurements and standards, together with our evidence-based reports and analyses, in their decision-making processes. We protect the privacy of Canadians by ensuring the confidentiality and integrity of the health care information we provide.

• PubMed

  PubMed® comprises more than 37 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. Citations may include links to full text content from PubMed Central and publisher web sites.

• MalaCards

  MalaCards is a searchable, integrated knowledgebase offering comprehensive, user-friendly information on human diseases, medical conditions, and disorders. Explore extensive gene-disease associations, disease mutations, phenotypes, pathways, drugs, and more, seamlessly integrated from 77 curated and computed, trusted web sources