How to Use Encyclopedias
Why Use Reference Sources (encyclopedias, handbooks, or Wikipedia)?
- Get a good and quick summary and history of a topic, term or issue.
- Focus your topic and place it properly within the context of the field of study
- Find alternate search words to help locate relevant materials in the scholarly literature.
Can I Cite an Encyclopedia (or Wikipedia) in my Paper?
Ask your instructor, but normally, encyclopedias provide insufficient information when researching a topic. Instead, use them as a starting point to understand the scope and terminology associated with your topic, so that you can begin in-depth research.
Opposing Viewpoints: Health Issues
These are great places to get pro/con and overview information about broad topics in health and medicine:
Reference Tools
- DSM-5 The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition
A guide for classification of mental disorders with associated criteria designed to facilitate more reliable diagnoses of these disorders. SUNY Empire Login Required
- Drug Information PortalSearch several gov't resources at one time for more than 12,000 drugs.
- MedlinePlusFrom the National Library of Medicine. Includes an encyclopedia, overviews of most medical conditions, drugs, supplements and health topics, etc.
- Merck ManualsManuals of Diagnosis and Therapy, Health and Aging, and Geriatrics
Liaison Librarian
Mon-Thu: 12 p.m. - 4 p.m.
Phone: 800-847-3000, ext. 2222.
or check our knowledgebase or submit a question via online form.
Ask a Librarian is closed during the Spring, Summer and Winter breaks. Academic librarians from Ask Us 24/7 are available to help when we aren't available. Please note:
If you need to request accommodations on the basis of a disability for library content needed for your coursework, please visit the Accessibility Resources and Services website.
