The health category of Journalist’s Resource includes scholarly material on a wide variety of subjects. The studies are selected for their timeliness, authority and public-policy importance. The world of health and medical research is vast and constantly evolving as science advances, and some top journals such as the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), The Lancet and The New England Journal of Medicine often make important news with each new article’s publication.

Among databases, the peer-reviewed Plos ONE stands out for its open-access policy. Databases such as SSRN and Google Scholar may also prove useful. When searching, try to find studies that are published in research-oriented journals, that come from universities or non-partisan research organizations, and that cite other studies published in journals.

Here are some other helpful places to look for more information:

• Center for Health Decision Science: Data Resources: Guide of freely available data sources for topics such as infectious diseases and health surveys.
• Community Health Status Indicators: Overview of key health indicators for local communities including more than 200 measures for each of 3,141 U.S. counties.
• PubMed: Citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. Citations may include links to full-text content from PubMed Central and publisher websites.
• Foundations of Public Health Policy: Initiative providing access to the manuscript collections of influential leaders in the field of public health and public health administration.
• Health, United States: An annual government report on trends in health statistics.
• Research: Harvard School of Public Health: List of research centers and research programs and projects. Many of the centers and programs link to full-text versions of their publications. Also, see the school’s Research Opinion Surveys.
• Global Health Observatory: The World Health Organization’s portal providing access to data and analyses for monitoring the global health situation.
• SourceOECD Health Data: Comprehensive source of comparable statistics on health and health care systems in OECD countries.
• WHO Statistical Information System (WHOSIS): Interactive system that brings together more than 70 health indicators from each of the World Health Organization’s member states.
• Health System Profiles (European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies): Country-based reports on health systems and policy initiatives.

Site list courtesy of the Harvard Kennedy School Library.