Research Guides: Public Health: Start Your Research Here

Subject-Focused Encyclopedias

Need to select a research topic or find background information?

The Reference Collection includes a variety of different sources, such as: subject-focused encyclopedias, handbooks, almanacs, maps/atlases, statistical compendiums, dictionaries, and more. Look here to find introductory articles on subject-related topics. The broad perspective offered by such articles often proves helpful for narrowing research topics before pursuing more in-depth information.

This guide provides some recommendations for encyclopedias and other reference resources that might provide helpful information relating to your topic.

Recommended Public Health Reference Books

Black's Medical Dictionary

Electronic Resource

Clinical Research Methodology and Evidence-Based Medicine: The Basics

Reference Collection (Second Floor)

Dictionary of Epidemiology

Electronic Resource

Dictionary of Health Education

Electronic Resource

Encyclopedia of Elder Care

Electronic Resource

Encyclopedia of Health Communication

Electronic Resource

Evidence-Based Practice Manual

Reference Collection (Second Floor)

Foundations of School and Community Health Education

Electronic Resource

Handbook of Global Health Policy

Electronic Resource

Human Diseases and Conditions

Electronic Resource

International Encyclopedia of Public Health

Electronic Resource

Palgrave Handbook of Social Theory in Health, Illness and Medicine

Electronic Resource

Primary Care and Public Health

Electronic Resource

World Health Systems

Electronic Resource 2019

Essentials of Epidemiology in Public Health

Electronic Resource

Introduction to Global Health Promotion

Electronic Resource

Qualitative Methods in Public Health

Electronic Resource

Oxford Dictionary of Public Health (2nd edition)

Electronic Resource

Wiley Encyclopedia of Health Psychology

Electronic Resource 2020

Recommended Resources for Evidenced-Based Practice (EBP) and Systematic Reviews

CINAHL Ultimate (EBSCOhost) (VALE) Features scholarly information for over 50 nursing specialties and allied health research and provides access to more than 2,000+ full-text journals. The database also includes quick lessons, evidence-based care sheets, and research Instruments.
Cochrane Databases Please use EBM (Evidence Based Medicine) Reviews.
EBM (Evidence Based Medicine) Reviews (Ovid) Includes: Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, ACP Journal Club, Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Methodology Register, Health Technology Assessment, NHS Economic Evaluation Database. NOTE: Permits only two simultaneous users. Please Log Out when finished.
JBI EBP Database (formerly Joanna Briggs Institute Evidence Based Practice) (Ovid) Includes: Evidence Based Recommended Practices, Evidence Summaries, Best Practice Information Sheets (BPIS), Systematic Reviews, and Consumer Information Sheets (CIS).
Nursing & Allied Health Database (ProQuest) (VALE) Provides coverage of nursing, allied health, and alternative medicine periodicals as well as training videos and transcultural information. Also features systematic reviews, evidence summaries, and best practice information from The Joanna Briggs Institute.

A Practical Guide: Data Extraction for Intervention Systematic Reviews "Shaped by insights from hundreds of researchers, this guide aims to distill the collective wisdom and best practices of the global systematic review community. It offers definitions, practical advice, links to the Cochrane Handbook, downloadable templates, and real-world examples from studies."
A Practical Guide: Protocol Development for Systematic Reviews "Welcome to this practical guide to protocol development for systematic reviews. Whether you’re an experienced researcher or just starting out, this guide can help you develop your review protocol which will help you plan and manage your systematic review."
A Practical Guide to Screening for Systematic Reviews "Screening is an important step in any type or size of literature review. The process of screening ensures that the studies in the review are relevant to the review question. It also ensures that the review is based on the highest-quality evidence and adheres to pre-specified criteria. Screening can be extremely resource intensive."

Recommended Tests and Measures Databases

The following databases provide information that will help you identify psychological tests and measuring instruments.

Working from off campus? If so, you will need to log in with your Kean email username and password.

Health and Psychosocial Instruments (HaPI) (OvidSP) Provides "information on measurement instruments (i.e., questionnaires, interview schedules, checklists, index measures, coding schemes/manuals, rating scales, projective techniques, vignettes/scenarios, tests) in the health fields, psychosocial sciences, organizational behavior, and library and information science. HaPI...[helps] identify measures needed for research studies, grant proposals, client/patient assessment, class papers/projects, theses/dissertations, and program evaluation." NOTE: Permits only 10 simultaneous users. Please Logoff when finished.
Mental Measurements Yearbook with Tests in Print (EBSCOhost) (VALE) Offers reviews of standardized tests in education, business, psychology, and leadership. Produced by the Buros Institute of Mental Measurements at the University of Nebraska, Tests in Print (TIP) serves as a comprehensive bibliography to all known commercially available tests that are currently in print in the English language.
PsycTests (EBSCOhost) (VALE) “Serves as a repository for a growing selection of psychological tests and measures, including thousands of actual test instruments and test items that are available for immediate download and use in research and teaching.”

Statistics & Data Databases

Working from off campus? If so, you will need to log in with your Kean Google username and password.

PolicyMap Features an online GIS mapping tool that allows users to create interactive maps and plot data by geographical location. Data indicators provided include demographics, education, income, housing, employment, health, crime, and much more.
Social Explorer Provides easy access to maps and reports of U.S. Census data from 1790 to the present; the Religious Congregations and Membership Study from 1980 to 2010; population, health and social care, and labor market data from the 2011 United Kingdom Census; U.S. crime data from the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); U.S. County Health Rankings & Roadmaps; European demographic data from Eurostat; population data from the 2011 Canadian census; and demographic and socioeconomic data from World Development Indicators (World Bank).
Statista Presents data as infographics and features reports on over 80,000 topics, including media, business, healthcare, politics, society, technology, and education.

Country Information Databases

Working from off campus? If so, you will need to log in with your Kean Google username and password.

Political Handbook of the World (CQ Press/Congressional Quarterly) "Comprehensive country profiles chronicling national history, government, and political parties, as well as profiles on intergovernmental organizations, development banks, and the agencies and specialized bodies of the United Nations."

Reference Databases

Working from off campus? If so, you will need to log in with your Kean Google username and password.

DSM-V Online (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition; American Psychiatric Association) "This is the fifth edition of the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM-V."
Gale eBooks (Gale Cengage Learning) A comprehensive collection of reference resources such as subject-focused encyclopedias and dictionaries, available in a single database.
SAGE Knowledge Provides reference resources such as subject-focused dictionaries, encyclopedias, and other reference materials published by SAGE.

Recommended Multimedia Databases

Working from off campus? If so, you will need to log in with your Kean Google username and password.

Counseling and Therapy in Video (Alexander Street Press) Provides access to a collection of online videos that enable students to observe the practice of social work, psychotherapy, psychology, and psychiatric counseling.
Films on Demand (Infobase Learning) Films on Demand provides access to "video and multimedia for academic, vocational and life-skills content." Click "Collections" to access videos in various subject areas, such as Art & Architecture, Allied Health, Biology, Business & Economics, Criminal Justice & Law, Drama & Theatre, Education, English, Gender & Sexuality, Guidance & Counseling, Health & Medicine, History, Psychology, and more. The platform also offers Archival Films & Newsreels.
Kanopy (OverDrive, Inc.)
Visible Body Suite (Visible Body) Features a comprehensive and user-friendly 3D reference and study tool for human anatomy. It enables users to explore general anatomy, functional units, cross sections, muscle attachments, bony landmarks, muscle actions, and more. NOTE: First-time users must create an account before using the site. After setting up the account, you can access the Visible Body Suite from any computer on or off campus. Please refer to the Visible Body Suite guide for more information.

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Related Research Guides

Subject-Focused Encyclopedias

Recommended Public Health Reference Books

Black's Medical Dictionary

Clinical Research Methodology and Evidence-Based Medicine: The Basics

Dictionary of Epidemiology

Dictionary of Health Education

Encyclopedia of Elder Care

Encyclopedia of Health Communication

Evidence-Based Practice Manual

Foundations of School and Community Health Education

Handbook of Global Health Policy

Human Diseases and Conditions

International Encyclopedia of Public Health

Palgrave Handbook of Social Theory in Health, Illness and Medicine

Primary Care and Public Health

World Health Systems

Essentials of Epidemiology in Public Health

Introduction to Global Health Promotion

Qualitative Methods in Public Health

Oxford Dictionary of Public Health (2nd edition)

Wiley Encyclopedia of Health Psychology

Recommended Resources for Evidenced-Based Practice (EBP) and Systematic Reviews

Recommended Tests and Measures Databases

Statistics & Data Databases

Country Information Databases

Reference Databases

Recommended Multimedia Databases

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