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Nursing Scholarly Sources Guide

Scholarly Web-Based Resources

Scholarly web-based resources are websites or databases produced by universities, research centers, government departments, or industry bodies. They often contain useful information such as case studies, reports, policies, and statistics.

These resources are created for a variety of purposes. For example, some of the resources contain health information for the general public, while others provide information for healthcare professionals.

Clinical Practice Resources

Merk Manual for Healthcare Professionals
The Merk Manuals are a comprehensive medical information source covering thousands of topics in all fields of medicine. They are offered as a free public service to health care professionals and the general public.

UpToDate
UpToDate is a point-of care, evidence-based clinical resource.

Epocrates  
Epocrates is a clinical resource that includes information about drugs, diseases, evidence-based practice guidelines, and more. Some of the content is available for free.

National Institutes of Health (NIH) 
The NIH is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting medical research.

Pharmacotherapeutics Sources

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 
The FDA is a federal agency that regulates food and drug products and provides health information to the public.

  • Drugs@FDA
    • Provides information about FDA-approved drug products.

National Library of Medicine (NLM)
The NLM is the world's largest biomedical library.

  • ClinicalTrials.gov
    • Provides information about clinical research studies. 
  • Daily Med
    • Contains labels for drugs and other products. 
  • Medline Plus 
    • Provides health information for the general public.
  • PubChem
    • Tracks drugs from the first use in clinical trials through full availability. Some international coverage. Search by trade name or generic name.

Population Health

American Public Health Association
The American Public Health Association website provides information about public health topics and issues.

Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD)
The CCHD is a program that provides education about poverty in the U.S.

City of Davenport Homepage
The City of Davenport website contains information about Davenport's government and community.

Feeding America - Map the Meal Gap
Feeding America's Map the Meal Gap provides information about food insecurity in the U.S.

World Health Organization (WHO)
WHO is a United Nations agency that collects global public health data.

Federal Agencies 

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
The AHRQ is a federal agency that conducts and supports research about the quality of healthcare.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
The CDC is the national public health agency of the U.S.

Office of Disease Prevention & Health Promotion (ODPHP) 
The ODPHP is a office of the NIH which promotes national public health priorities 

U.S. Census Bureau - Explore Census Data
The U.S. Census Bureau collects data about the U.S. population, and the Explore Census Data page provides tables and maps for viewing this data.

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
The USDA focuses on issues related to agriculture, nutrition, natural resources, and rural development.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 
The EPA develops regulations to help protect human health and the environment. The agency also provides education about health topics.

Public Health Departments 

Illinois Department of Public Health 

Iowa Department of Public Health 

Rock Island County Health Department 

Scott County Health Department 

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 

Quality Improvement

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
The AHRQ is a federal agency that conducts and supports research about the quality of healthcare.

The Joint Commission 
The Joint Commission is a nonprofit that sets standards of quality for health care organizations.