Research Guides: Community Health Resources: Web Resources

Recommended Websites

The Internet has a great wealth of information, but it can be difficult to wade through it all to find the gems. Here are a few websites that are vetted, reliable, and appropriate for scholarly research:

CDC Data & Statistics
The site offers statistics on topics of public health importance as well as links to CDC: Data & Statistics resources. Several tools allow customization of data tables and query datasets.
County Health Rankings
Allows for statistical comparison at the county level. Use the Roadmaps section to get the most of the data from the perspective of a community health provider.
Ethnomed
EthnoMed contains information about cultural beliefs, medical issues and related topics pertinent to the health care of immigrants to the US.
Healthy People 2020
Addresses a variety of health and wellness topics, including Early Childhood, Childhood , and Adolescent Health
Kaiser Family Foundation
Resources on health policy analysis, health journalism and communication.
SAMHSA: Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration
TOXNET: Toxicology Data Network
By the National Library of Medicine, a collection of databases on toxicology, hazardous chemicals, environmental health, and toxic releases.
World Health Organization (WHO)
WHO provides data and statistics, news, and information on a variety of health topics from around the world.

Internet Reliability

(Image Credit: Gerald Lynch)

The Internet is an important tool, but you need to remember:

Anyone can develop a website on any topic they choose; creativity does not equal authority.
The Internet does not have:
- Standards for publishing
- Review process to check for accuracy
- Prompts for removing outdated information

Ask yourself why the site was created. To find out more on this topic, see our guide on evaluating websites.

Community Health Resources: Web Resources

What You'll Find Here

Recommended Websites

Internet Reliability