MCC LIBRARY RESOURCES

Contemporary Health Issues

This guide has been prepared by the MCC reference librarians to assist you with research for your class. If you need further assistance, please stop by the reference desk to consult with a librarian.

Reference Sources

Reference Sources are a good place to start your research. They can give you a concise overview of your topic, background information, facts & statistics, plus help you define and spell words, and focus your topic. Reference Sources include both books located in the Reference Collection and databases accessible on the Library Web Site under the link Reference Databases.

Call Number Title
REF.AE7.T3.DRU

Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Issues in Drugs and Society

REF.AE7.T3.HEA Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Contemporary Issues in Health and Society
REF.HV5017 Encyclopedia of Alcoholism
REF.HV5035.I57 International Handbook on Alcohol & Culture
REF.HV5801.I55 Illegal Drugs & Alcohol: America's Anguish
REF.HV5804.E53 Encyclopedia of Drugs, Alcohol, & Addictive Behavior
REF.HV6017.E52 Encyclopedia of Crime and Justice
REF.RC113.J33 Alcohol Use and Abuse
REF.RC568.A5

Alcohol and Alcoholism
REF.RC568.A51 Alcohol, Customs and Rituals
REF.RC568.A52 Alcohol, Teenage Drinking
REF.RC569.E6 no.4 Celebrity Drug Use

REF.RC569.E6 no.6

 The Downside of Drugs
REF.RC569.E6 no.7 Drinking, Driving, and Drugs
REF.Z7721 Alcohol and Youth: A Comprehensive Bibliography
REF.Z164.S9.M93 Substance Abuse: A Resource Guide for Secondary Schools

Reference Databases:

Some reference sources are available not only in print, but also online through the library web site. These sources often combine a variety of information found in other sources. They are full-text, and most are available off-campus with passwords you may obtain from the Reference Desk. Some of the reference databases useful for this subject area are listed below:

Database Name

Vendor Name

Oxford Reference Online/Medicine Category

Oxford University Press

Salem Health Salem Press

 

Books & Media

The Stacks contain books and audiovisual items that may be borrowed or "checked out" of the library. These resources are useful when you need a more in-depth study of a topic than can be provided in reference sources alone. Use the Library's Online Catalog to determine what resources are available on your topic and the call number and location in the library. If our library does not own the necessary resources for your research needs, you may request additional items be ordered through interlibrary loan.

Possible search terms to use for your topic are:

Sample Keyword Searches

Sample Subject Headings

substance abuse and prevention

alcoholism

alcohol and prevention

teenagers alcohol use United States

teens and alcohol drunk driving

Article Databases

Periodicals consist of popular magazines, newspapers, trade and scholarly journals. Magazine & newspaper articles can be good sources to use for very current information, to focus on specific topics or aspects of a topic, to find reviews, and for opinions. Trade journals are helpful to follow trends and career opportunities within a field, and to find practical tips and techniques to use "on the job". Scholarly journals give details of actual research studies that have been conducted and/or scholarly treatment of discipline specific topics. All of these resources can be located using the article databases located on the library web site.

Recommended Databases for Contemporary Health Issues

Database Name Vendor Name
Academic Search Premier EBSCO
CINAHL (Nursing and Allied Health) EBSCO
Health Source Nursing EBSCO
Health Source Consumer EBSCO
Professional Development Collection EBSCO
PsycARTICLES EBSCO
ERIC EBSCO or FirstSearch
ArticleFirst, ECO FirstSearch
MEDLINE FirstSearch
ProQuest ProQuest
Access these databases at the URLs provided:  

BioMed Central Publisher of 187 peer-reviewed open access journals.

www.biomedcentral.com
PubMed www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/

Passwords to access the library databases from off-campus are available on the pink handout MCC Library Database Chart. If you have not received this handout, please ask for it at the Reference Desk.

Internet Resources

Recommended web sites for this subject are listed below. For additional web sites on this subject, refer to MCC Library's Web Sites by Subject link on the library web site.

Web Site Address
Alcoholics Anonymous www.alcoholics-anonymous.org
National Institute on Alcohol & Alcoholism www.niaaa.nih.gov
National Clearinghouse for Drug & Alcohol Information www.health.org
MADD Online www.madd.org
Drug Addiction News www.drug-addiction.com/news/college-alcohol-prevention.htm
PreventionNet Drug Alcohol Abuse Prevention Programs www.preventionnet.com/


Remember to carefully evaluate information found on the Internet. Unlike most traditional print sources, Internet sources may not go through any review process before the information is made available to the public. Anyone can create and publish a web site. If you need help evaluating your sources, please ask at the Reference Desk for guidance. For critieria to use to evaluate your sources refer to our handout on Evaluating Sources. It is available at the Reference Desk.

http://www.mchenry.edu/library