While it is true that consumers may go to Wikipedia to research a health topic, that does not make it a reliable source for research.   It is fine to review the Wikipedia entry to gain an overview of your topic but I would not cite it in any sort of paper or poster.   Scroll to the bottom or link to the list of references and explore those sources.  They may be appropriate to use but you will need to evaluate them for content and accuracy.  There are many other good sources of health information. MedlinePlus is one of the best and it appears high in a general Google search.   Below Wikipedia maybe, but on the first page at least.  Let’s hope consumers go beyond Wikipedia and you should too.

Most of you did a great job of choosing resources to support your “Better” paper.   We did have some feedback that might help when you do the same sort of assignment in Fund I.  In general we saw:

• Citations close to the AMA style but off in some way.  The style is very specific, journal title in italics, if more than 6 authors, list 3 then et al, etc.    If you submit a paper for publication, the references will need to be cited exactly according to the style.
• Citing the print article when you used the electronic version.  Cite what you used.  There are formatting styles for both print and online.
• Explaining what in the content led you to choose a particular resource but not what made it a reliable source.  The checklist linked from this blog gives examples: recently updated, author’s credentials given, etc.
• Not double spacing your references.  A small thing, but clearly stated in the instructions.

Please let me know if you have specific questions about your feedback.

I know you are glad to finish up PDS and take the next step of beginning Fundamentals I.  This module is packed and you will have an assignment that requires you to find good scholarly information.  I’ll post more about that later but for now, take a deep breath and jump right in.

If you haven’t yet finished formatting your references for the “Better” project, check out the trial version of the AMA Style Guide.  Might save you a trip to the library tomorrow.  Let us know if you like it.

Be sure to see the PDS LibGuide page on Citing Your Sources if you have questions about how to cite references for your “Better” project.  In general references are numbered consecutively in the order they appear in the text.  All references are at the end of the paper.  In-text citations are only used when a reference would not be included in a reference list, such as news articles, obituaries, and material submitted for publication but not yet accepted.  If you have specific questions, Ask a Librarian.

Your feedback helps us make the best use of our 50 minutes so please take a few minutes to complete this anonymous survey.  All comments and suggestions are welcome!  Hope to see you today at 2 pm for the library tour.

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