The purpose of gathering background information is to help you understand your topic in more depth, or perhaps think about a different view or a subtopic that you had not previously considered.

Reference Books | Electronic Reference Resources

Using reference sources in the library's Reference Collection can be very useful.

After looking at the titles that follow, you can use the reference collection to help you locate additional information on your topic in the circulating collection, or you can note the call number of a Reference book that is useful for your topic, for example The AIDS Sourcebook (REF RC 606.64 .A337 2003). Drop the REF and use the initial letters and numbers as a guide to finding similar material that circulates. If you wanted to find circulating books similar to The AIDS Sourcebook, you would go to the third floor and browse the RC 606 section.

Subject Specific Reference Books

General

Oxford Companion to Medicine
REF. R 121 .O88

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Encyclopedias

American Medical Association Encyclopedia of Medicine
REF. RC 81 .A2 A52 1989
Book of Health: A Medical Encyclopedia of for Everyone
REF. RC 81 .C59 1973
Encyclopedia of Health and Behavior
REF. R 726.5 .E53 2004
Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine
REF. RC 41 .G35 2006

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Dictionaries/Terminology

Encyclopedia & Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, & Allied Health
REF. R 121 .M65 1992
International Dictionary of Medicine and Biology
REF. R 121 .I58
Inverted Medical Dictionary: A Method of Finding Medical Terms Quickly
REF. R 121 .R54
Medical and Health Sciences Word Book
REF. R 123 .M38
Mosby's Medical, Nursing, and Allied Health Dictionary
REF. Ref R 121 .M89 1990
Stedman's Medical Dictionary
REF. R 121 .S8 1982
Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary
REF. R 121 .T144 1997

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Bibliographies/Sourcebooks

Literature and Medicine: An Annotated Bibliography
REF. PN 56 .M38 T7 1982
Selected and Partially Annotated Bibliography of Society, Ethics, and the Life Sciences
REF. Z 6658 .S58 1979-80

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Abbreviations/Acronyms

Abbreviations and Acronyms in Medicine and Nursing
REF. R 121 .G22
Medical Abbreviations and Acronyms
REF. R 121 .R77
Mosby's Survival Guide to Medical Abbreviations & Acronyms, Prefixes & Suffixes, Symbols, Greek Alphabet
REF. R 123 .C23 1995

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Aging

Aging: Demographics, Health, and Health Services
REF. RA 564.8 .V54 2003
Encyclopedia of Aging
REF. HQ 1061 .E53
Encyclopedia of Senior Health and Well-Being
REF. RA 777.6 .K357 2003
Graying of America
REF. HQ 1064 .U5 K39 2001

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Alternative/Complementary Medicine

Alternative Health & Medicine Encyclopedia
REF. R 733 .M38 1998
Alternative Medicine Sourcebook
REF. R 733 .A475 2002
Encylcopedia of Complementary Health Practice
REF. R 733 .E525 1999

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Anatomy

Anatomical Primer: an Embryological Explanation of Human Gross Anatomy
REF. QM 23.2 .L36
Anatomy of the Human Body/Gray's Anatomy
REF. QM 23.2 .G73 1985
Atlas of Human Anatomy
REF. QM 25 .N46
Atlas of the Sensory Organs
REF. QM 501 .C75 2005
Colour Atlas of Human Anatomy
REF. QM 23.2 .M32 1977

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Biographies

Dictionary of American Medical Biography
REF. R 153 .D53

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Careers

270 Ways to Put Your Talent to Work in the Health Field
REF. RA 440.9 .N3 1998
Peterson's Job Opportunities for Health and Science Majors
REF. R 690 .P45

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Children

Domestic Violence and Child Abuse Sourcebook
REF. HV 6626.2 .D66 2000
Encyclopedia of Child Abuse
REF. HV 6626.5 .C57 2007
Encyclopedia of Children's Health and Wellness
REF. RJ 45 .T9465 2004
State of the World's Children 2006
REF. HQ 792.2 .S734 2005
State of the World's Children 2003
REF. HQ 792.2 .S734 2002

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Diagnoses/Tests

Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy
REF. RC 55 .M4 1999
Mosby's Diagnostic and Laboratory Test Reference
REF. RB 37 .P24 1997
NANDA Nursing Diagnoses
REF. RT 48.6 .N67 1999
PDR Nurse's Drug Handbook
REF. RM 125 .S668 2006
Patient's Guide to Medical Tests
REF. RC 71 .P38 1997

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Diseases/Disorders/Conditions

AIDS Sourcebook
REF. RC 606.64 .A337 2003
Alzheimer's Disease: Unraveling the Mystery
REF. RC 523 .A49 2002
Cancer Sourcebook
REF. RC 263 .C294 2007
Disabilities Sourcebook
REF. HV 1553 .D544 2000
Domestic Violence and Child Abuse Sourcebook
REF. HV 6626.2 .D66 2000
Drug Abuse Sourcebook
REF. HV 5801 .D724 2000
Eating Disorders Sourcebook
REF. RC 552 .E18 E287 2007
Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders
REF. RC 553 .A88 T87 2007
Encyclopedia of Blindness and Vision Impairment
REF. RE 91 .S27
Encyclopedia of Breast Cancer
REF. RC 280 .B8 T876 2005
Encyclopedia of Deafness and Hearing Disorders
REF. RF 290 .T93 1992
Encyclopedia of Drugs and Alcohol
REF. HV 5804 .E53 1995
Encyclopedia of HIV and AIDS
REF. RC 606.6 .W385 2003
Encyclopedia of Infectious Diseases
REF. RC 112 .T87 1998
Encyclopedia of Obesity and Eating Disorders
REF. RC 552 .E18 C37 2006
Headache Sourcebook
REF. RC 392 .H43 2002
Illinois Cancer Statistics Review
REF. RC 277 .I3 2002
NORD (National Organization for Rare Disorders) Resource Guide
REF. RC 91 .N67 2000
Sexually Transmitted Diseases Sourcebook
REF. RC 200.2 .S387 2001
Skin Disorders Sourcebook
REF. RL 85 .S56 1997

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Drugs/Pharmacology

Davis's Drug Guide for Nurses
REF. RM 301.12 .D44 2003
Intravenous Medications: a Handbook for Nurses and Allied Health Professional
REF. RM 170 .G33 2000
Mosby's Pharmacology in Nursing
REF. RM 301 .M39 1995
Nurse's Drug Reference: NDR
REF. RM 1 .N87
Nursing 2006 Drug Handbook
REF. RM 301.12 .N87 2006
Physician's Desk Reference: PDR
REF. RS 250 .P5
PDR for Herbal Medicines
REF. RM 666 .H33 P37 2004
PDR for Nonprescription Drugs
REF. RS 250 .P52
PDR Generics
REF. RS 55.2 .P3 1998
PDR Guide to Drug Interactions, Side Effects, and Indications
REF. RM 302 .P37 2007
PDR Nurse's Drug Handbook
REF. RM 125 .S668 2006

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Emergency

First Aid and CPR (Essentials)
REF. RC 86.7 .F5576 1999
Mosby's Emergency Nursing Reference
REF. RT 120 .E4 M69 2000

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Ethics

Encyclopedia of Bioethics
REF. QH 332 .E52 1995
Ethical and Policy Issues in Research Involving Human Participants
REF. R 853 .H8 E7 2001
Health Care Policy and Politics A to Z
REF. RA 395 .A3 R685 2000

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Families

Family Mental Health Encyclopedia
REF. RC 437 .B69
John Hopkins Family Health Book
REF. RC 81 .J64 1999
Mayo Clinic Family Health Book
REF. RC 81 .M473
New Good Housekeeping Family Health and Medical Guide
REF. RC 81 .G628 1989
Wellness Encyclopedia: the Comprehensive Family Resource for Safeguarding Health and Preventing Illness
REF. RA 776 .W436

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Genetics

Dictionary of Genetics
REF. QH 427 .K55 2002
Mendelian Inheritance in Man
REF. RB 155 .M33 1990

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History

Bibliography of the History of Medicine
REF. R 151 .B564
Chronology of Medicine and Related Sciences
REF. R 133 .M717 1997
Encyclopedia of Medical History
REF. R 133 .M34
Historical Encyclopedia of Nursing
REF. RT 31 .S66 1999
Nursing, a Historical Bibliography
REF. RT 31 .B84 1981

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Medical-Surgical

Handbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing
REF. RT 51 .H352 2002
Instrumentation for the Operating Room: a Photographic Manual
REF. RD 71 .B76 1994

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Men

Men's Health and Wellness Encyclopedia
REF. RA 777.8 .I65 1998

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Mental Health

Campbell's Psychiatric Dictionary
REF. RC 437 .H5 2004
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM-IV-TR
REF. RC 455.2 .C4
Encyclopedia of Depression
REF. RC 537 .R63
Encyclpedia of Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
REF. RC 514 .N63 2007
Encyclopedia of Suicide
REF. HV 6645 .E87 2003
Family Mental Health Encyclopedia
REF. RC 437 .B69
Gale Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders
REF. RC 437 .G35 2003
Psychoanalytic Terms and Concepts
REF. RC 501.4 .P79

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Multiculturalism

American Immigrant Cultures
REF. E 184 .A1 A634 1997
Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America
REF. E 184 .A1 G14 1995
Pocket Guide to Cultural Assessment
REF. RT 86.54 .G54 1994

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Nutrition

Columbia Encyclopedia of Nutrition
REF. QP 141 .C69
Complete Guide to Vitamins, Minerals, and Supplements
REF. QP 771 .G75
Diet and Nutrition Sourcebook
REF. RA 784 .D534 1996
Encyclopedia of Foods: A Guide to Health Nutrition
REF. TX 349 .E482 2002
Encyclopedia of Obesity and Eating Disorders
REF. RC 552 .E18 C37 2006
Nutrition and Health Encyclopedia
REF. QP 141 .T88
Nutrition Desk Reference: NDR
REF. QP 141 .G33
Prentice-Hall Dictionary of Nutrition and Health
REF. TX 349 .A54

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Pollution/Environment

Dictionary of Toxicology
REF. RA 1193 .H63
Environmentally Induced Disorders Sourcebook
REF. RB 152 .E59 1997
Hazardous Substances, A Reference
REF. RA 1193 .B475
Rapid Guide to Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace
REF. T 55.3 .H3 R37
Toxics A to Z: a Guide to Everyday Pollution Hazards
REF. RA 1213 .T76 1991

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Religion

Handbook of Religion and Health
REF. BL 65 .M4 .K646 2001

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Research/Writing Guides

Computer's in Nursing's Nurses Guide to the Internet
REF. RT 50.5 .N53 2001
Encyclopedia of Nursing Research
REF. RT 81.5 .E53 2006
Essentials of Writing Biomedical Research Papers
REF. R 119 .Z45 1991
Library Research Guide to Nursing
REF. RT 81.5 .S82 1992

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Statistics

Health and Healthcare in the United States: County and Metro Area Data
REF. RA 407.3 .H415 2001
Health in the Americas
REF. RA 407.5 .L3 P18 2002
Health, United States [Current Year]
REF. RA 407.3 .U57 2005
Illinois Cancer Statistics Review
REF. RC 277 .I3 2002
State of the World Population, 2002
REF. HB 848 .S73 2002

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Women

Encyclopedia of Women's Health Issues
REF. RA 778 .G39 2002
New A to Z of Women's Health: A Concise Encyclopedia
REF. RA 778 .A494 1989
Reproductive Issues in America
REF. RG 133.5 .M47 2003
Rural Illinois Women: Access to Health Care Services
REF. RA 771.6 .I3 S72 2001
Women's Health Concerns Sourcebook
REF. RA 778 .W7543 2004

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Ask a librarian at the Research Assistance Desk
if you need help in locating these sources.

Electronic Reference Sources

Credo Reference: is a searchable collection of 100 reference titles containing a range of subjects useful to medical and allied health professionals including: bilingual dictionaries, conversions, law, medicine, psychology, religion, science, social sciences, and technology. Entries range from short to medium length and may include images and/or audio (especially useful for pronunciations of medical terms and non-English words).
Gale Virtual Reference Library: contains the Gale Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders and Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine. (After clicking the link, click "proceed", then select the database.)
PDR (Physician's Desk Reference) Electronic Library: (Click "PDR Electronic Library", on right side of screen.) Information about prescription drugs, with photos. Includes PDR for Herbal Medicines and Stedman's Medical Dictionary. On-campus only.
Micromedex: Access to clinical databases with information about drugs, labs, toxicology, diseases, acute care, alternative medicine, IV compatibility etc. Also includes access to the CareNotes System. (Note: This database is only available to current Nursing faculty and students. Please see a librarian for database login and password.)
Peterson's College Guides: Online versions of the printed guides. Guides to undergraduate, graduate and vocational-technical schools. Searchable by name or location.

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