Fletcher Library at the West Campus
Gerontology Research
Contact Leslee Shell, Gerontology Librarian
Doing research in Gerontology can be particularly challenging because the field is so interdisciplinary. This guide is intended to provide you with some guidelines regarding where to find information in this area.
| Selecting a Topic | Statistical Sources |
| Finding Overview Information | Agencies & Societies |
| Finding Journal Articles | Legal & Social Services Organizations |
Selecting a Topic
Keep three things in mind when selecting a topic:
- Pick a topic that is interesting. You will be working for a long time. You may as well enjoy it.
- Before committing to a topic, do a preliminary search to make sure there is material available on the subject and you can complete the assignment in the time allotted.
- Be flexible; during the research process, you may find it necessary to broaden or narrow the topic. A well-defined question should be answered in the course of your research.
Finding Overview Information
Begin by finding background information in your topic. Specialized encyclopedias can be a good place to begin. The following are kept in the Reference collection.
Aging Sourcebook
HQ1064.U5 A6365 1998
Dictionary of Gerontology
HQ1061 .H338 1998
Encyclopedia of Aging
HQ1061 .E534 2002 v.1-4
Encyclopedia of Aging: A Comprehensive Resource in Gerontology and Geriatrics
HQ1061 .E53 2006 v.1-2
Encyclopedia of Gerontology
RC952.5 E58 1996 v.1-2
Merck Manual of Geriatrics
RC952.55 .M555x 1995
To find books in the library, use the ASU Libraries Catalog.
Some keywords to use in searching include aging, geriatrics and gerontology.
You may also want to browse in the following areas:
BF724 (Psychological Aspects)
HQ1060-HQ1064 (Sociological Aspects)
QP86 (Biological Aspects)
RC952-RC954 (Medical Aspects of Aging)
Finding Journal Articles
Due to the interdisciplinary nature of communication you may want to try searching in a variety of indexes, depending on your specific topic. Try any of the following indexes and abstracting services that seem appropriate:
Academic Search Premier (EBSCOHost)
Covers a wide range of academic areas including the sciences, nursing and health sciences. Includes indexing for over 3,100 journals and has full text for over 1,000.
AgeLine
Produced by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), this abstracting service covers all aspects of aging. The delivery of health care to the older population and its associated costs and policies is particularly well covered, as are consumer, employment and public policy issues.
CINAHL
Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature. Coverage includes nursing, health, biomedical and consumer health.
ERIC
Abstracts of educational studies and journal articles. Education is defined in an extremely broad fashion and many aspects of geriatrics are covered.
MEDLINE
Covers all aspects of medicine including psychology and psychiatry.
PsycINFO
Covers all aspects of psychology as well as medicine, psychiatry, education and law.
Sociological Abstracts
Includes articles from journals in sociology, social work and other social sciences.
Social Sciences Citation Index
Covers the social sciences and allows citation searching.
Statistical Sources
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/
"The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) Series is prepared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)."
National Center For Health Statistics: Fast Stats A to Z
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats
The NCHS is America's principal health statistics agency.
U.S. Health Statistics and International Statistics
http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/sthealth.html
Statistics from the National Center for Health Statistics and other sources.
Agencies & Socities
Agency for Health Care Policy and Research
http://www.ahrq.gov/
Eighteen clinical practice guidelines are available from this US government agency site. Users can access full-text versions of the guidelines, quick reference versions, or patient guides in English or Spanish. Guidelines on cataract, depression, heart failure, unstable angina, cardiac rehabilitation, poststroke rehabilitation, pressure ulcers, and urinary incontinence will be of particular interest to the geriatrician.
The AGS Foundation For Health In Aging
http://www.healthinaging.org/
"The AGS Foundation for Health in Aging (FHA) is a national non-profit organization established in 1999 by The American Geriatrics Society. We aim to build a bridge between the research and practice of Geriatrics and the Public, and to advocate on behalf of older adults and their special health care needs."
Alliance For Aging Research
http://www.agingresearch.org/
"The private, not-for-profit Alliance for Aging Research is the nation's leading citizen advocacy organization for improving the health and independence of Americans as they age. The Alliance was founded in 1986 to promote medical and behavioral research into the aging process."
American Geriatrics Society (AGS)
http://www.americangeriatrics.org/
The home page of this society has information on membership, faculty development opportunities, annual meeting information, professional publications, and a patient education forum (with questions and answers).
The Gerontological Society of America
http://www.geron.org/
Provides general information about the society, links to publications (journals and newsletters) sponsored by the society, a calendar of conferences, career development information, legislative and policy updates, and information on grants and fellowships.
National Institute on Aging
http://www.nia.nih.gov/
On this site maintained by the National Institute on Aging Institutes of Health, users can read about research and funding opportunities. One section offers news releases about issues pertaining to aging research. The Health Information section features several online publications and pamphlets for professionals and patients. Topics covered include Alzheimer disease, menopause, cardiovascular disease, and urinary incontinence.
Legal and Social Services Sites
Administration on Aging
http://www.aoa.dhhs.gov/
This site, maintained by the US Department of Health and Human Services, is divided into sections for patients and practitioners. The patients' section provides a collection of links to many other Web sites containing information tailored to the elderly. The site also covers educational information (including treatment options) on common ailments like constipation, sexual dysfunction, prostate problems, and eye problems. For the practitioner, there is information on advocacy groups for the elderly, welfare reform, and managed care issues. Finally, the site provides a highly useful directory of other annotated Web resources organized by topics, although it does not indicate the quality of the resources featured.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/
This site is maintained by the US government agency that oversees the federal Medicare program. It has a great deal of information likely to be of interest to clinicians as well as to their elderly patients or their families.
National Senior Citizens Law Center
http://www.nsclc.org/
This organization offers legal services and information for elderly clients.
Modified: May 19, 2008,
