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BIO 141/142 & NAS 150 (Online): Patient Info v Science-Based

Library research resources for the Medical Experience/Medical Problem assignments in NOVA Online biology and anatomy/physiology courses. Questions? Email online-library@nvcc.edu

Patient Education Information vs Science-Based Sources

[Updated January 2020] Your medical experience assignment requires you to use at least three sources:

  1. Your textbook
  2. A patient source
  3. A science-based source

Here are tips for spotting patient vs science-based sources!

Table comparing patient and science-based sources.
Type of Source Patient Information Science-based
What to look for

Everyday language.

Focus on patient experience.

Advice on symptoms, treatment.

When to see a doctor.

Technical language. 

Studies and/or experiments

Research findings.

 
Where to look

Find patient education info in:

Mayo Clinic

Medline Plus (summaries, 

*see "websites" page

Find academic journal articles in:

Health & Wellness Center (Gale) 

CINAHL

*see "library databases" page
Examples Mayo Clinic (2014, June 3). Guillain-Barre syndrome Symptoms - Diseases and Conditions - Mayo Clinic. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/guillain-barresyndrome/basics/symptoms/con-20025832

Fan, L., Mao, C., Hu, X., Zhang, S., Yang, Z., Hu, Z., & Sun, H. (2020). New Insights Into the Pathogenesis of Alzheimer's Disease. Frontiers in Neurology, NA. Retrieved from https://link-gale-com.eznvcc.vccs.edu:2443/apps/doc/A610993539/HWRC?u=viva2_nvcc&sid=HWRC&xid=e5512692