Reference Resources: Overview

This Guide is meant to act as a quick reference tool for librarians, information professionals and our user community. You will find useful, authoritative, and thoroughly evaluated links ranging from simple dictionaries to the more complex statistical resources. 

We welcome suggestions and invite you to e-mail or call us!

Your Guide,

Lindsay Boyce
Research Informationist III
boycel@mskcc.org

Health sciences, research, and consumer health information published on the Internet may not undergo the same rigorous standards or review as print information. The MSK Library's guidelines were developed and implemented so that our users may easily find web-based information evaluated for quality and reliabilty.

Key guidelines for selecting websites are:

• resource is within the scope of the Library's Collection policy
   
• information supplier and/or author is clearly identified
   
• affiliation, status, and qualifications of the author are easy to ascertain
   
• information is authoritative, accurate and substantive
   
• resource clearly indicates date of Web page or last revised date
   
• currency of information can easily and quickly be ascertained
   
• information is appropriate given its intended audience
   
• site is complete and regularly maintained
   
• site is easy to use, well organized, and asthetically pleasing
   
• if special software or helper applications are required, the site provides easy to understand instructions on how to locate, download and install the necessary software
   
• site has been reviewed elsewhere

The MSK Library welcomes comments and suggestions regarding possible additions to the selected websites. Use our feedback form to recommend a topic or site.