Reference Resources

Welcome to the Reference Resources page which connects users to authoritative reference information selected by Memorial Sloan-Kettering Librarians. View the selection criteria.

To recommend a new reference web site, please complete our general feedback form.

• Authoring Tools for Memorial Sloan-Kettering Staff
• Abbreviations & Acronyms
• Almanacs & Fact Books
• Calculators & Converters
• Cancer
• Dictionaries
• Directories
• Encyclopedias
• General Science
• Grammar & Style Manuals
• Grants & Funding
• Health and Wellness
• Maps
• Search Engines
• Statistics
• Times & Dates
• Virtual Reference Collections

• EndNote - EndNote is a software program that can help to manage your article references. It functions as a reference and image database, an online search tool, and a bibliography and manuscript maker. Note: MSK employees may request installation by contacting the Information Systems Help Desk at 646-227-3337. More information about EndNote is available on the Training & Tutorials page. At the top of this page, click on the link to the Library Class Registration Form for current schedule and to sign up for a class.
• RefWorks - A web-based bibliographic management service that allows you to create your own personal database of references. Users can import references from a search performed in an online database automatically, or enter references manually. Searching tools within RefWorks enables easy navigation for the user within their database and organize folders. Visitors must sign up for an individual account. More information about RefWorks is available on the Training & Tutorials page.
  

• Acronym Finder - is a comprehensive database of acronyms, abbreviations, and initialisms arranged in categories such as: information technology, science and medicine, and organizations and schools.
• All That JAS: Journal Abbreviation Sources - provides access to sites that list journal title abbreviations for various types of titles.
• ISI Journal Abbreviations Index - lists journal titles and their abbreviations. Please note that the Cited Word Lookup function requires a subscription, but the list itself is available for free.

• 50States.com - provides facts about the fifty states, commonwealths, and territories, includes latitude and longitude, colleges and universities, constitutions, populations, and state and federal representatives.
• Information Please Almanac - includes dates, statistics, and quick facts on subjects ranging from finance to health and nutrition, the Information Please Almanac has been in publication continuously since 1947.
• The World Factbook - published annually and updated every two weeks. This resource has national-level information on countries, territories, and dependencies. An entry in The World Factbook includes population statistics, economic conditions, and transnational issues.

• Measure 4 Measure - a collection of Web sites that perform common calculations in science, math, and health. The health-related calculators are oriented more towards consumer health. The science and math calculators include temperature, ideal gas law, a biopolymer calculator, and unit conversion.
• NIST Reference on Constants, Units, and Uncertainty - includes three topics: fundamental physical constants, the International System of Units, and expressing uncertainty of measurement results. The constants are broken down by category and include X-ray values, physico-chemical, and conversion factors for energy equivalents.
• Online Calculators, Conversion Tools, Measurements, and Weights - This site from Western Washington University list of calculators and converters in mathematics, the sciences, and economics.
• Unit Conversion Forms - allows you to convert distance, area, volume, mass, speed, temperature, pressure, energy, power, and force to metric.

• American Cancer Society - the American Cancer Society (ACS) is a nationwide, community-based voluntary health organization whose mission is to prevent cancer, save lives, and diminish suffering from cancer. This site has information about cancer itself, treatment options, surviving cancer, support programs, and prevention and early detection.
• Gene Therapy for Cancer: Questions and Answers - part of the National Cancer Institute's Fact Sheets series, this site answers basic questions about what genes are and the role they play in cancer development.
• Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Cancer Information - provides patient-oriented information on cancer, treatment options, cutting edge research, and prevention strategies. The Cancer Information page also links to other pages for patients, survivors, their families, and other professionals.
• National Cancer Institute - the National Cancer Institute has a wealth of information for cancer patients, their families, professionals, and researchers alike. Visitors have access to publications, detailed information about cancer, treatments options, and beyond. They also provide lists of clinical trials and unique cancer statistics.
• Oncolink - This site from the University of Pennsylvania's Abramson Cancer Center has cancer-related information for patients, their families, and professionals. Browse the Library for book reviews, and the Oncolink Reading Room for reviews, children's books, survivor stories and more.

• AskOxford - searches the Compact Oxford English Dictionary by headword or full text. This site also provides advice on grammar and usage, and links to other language-related sites.
• The Free Online Dictionary of Computing - FOLDOC is a searchable dictionary of acronyms, jargon, programming languages, tools, architecture, operating systems, networking, theory, standards, and more.
• Language Dictionaries and Translators, Word 2 Word - a collection of online dictionaries in numerous languages. Many, but not all have a searchable index. If the dictionary only translates from one language to another you will see this - > to indicate which language is being translated from with the arrow pointing to which language is being translated to. If the translation can be made both ways then you will see < - > and if the dictionary is non-searchable it will have - without any arrows.
• MedlinePlus Medical Dictionary - access the Miriam-Webster Medical Dictionary from MedlinePlus, the National Library of Medicine's consumer health Web site. If you are unsure of spelling, type the first few letters followed by an asterisk.

• AnyWho - allows visitors to search online versions of yellow pages, white pages, reverse directories, and find information on international directories and area codes.
• Associations on the Net - This page from the Internet Public Library is a subject guide to associations and organizations in various disciplines. Visitors can search the site for a specific association using the Advanced Search function in the upper-right corner of the page.
• Directory of Community Services / Directorio de Servicos para la Comunidad - an online database, in English and Spanish, of hundreds of local organizations and groups offering services to the public in Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island.
• Directory of Published Proceedings (DoPP) - DoPP is a comprehensive source, updated daily, for locating available literature from over 280,000 international conferences, meetings, and symposia. Directory covers a wide range of disciplines such as Science/Technology, Medical/Life Sciences, Social Sciences/Humanities, and Pollution Control/Ecology. Special feature includes MInd: The Meeting Index. This index provides over 10,000 entries on future conferences, meetings, and symposia through 2014.
• Infobel.com - allows visitors to search for a telephone number using online versions of yellow and white pages, reverse directories, and business directories. Also provides a list of international calling codes by city.
• Scholarly Societies - provides links to the Web sites of scholarly societies all over the world. This site provides access through alphabetical and subject indexes and a searchable database. Some societies provide links to online archives of their publications.
• World Telephone Numbering Guide - has information on international telephone numbering formats, and includes area codes, number finding forms, the capability to search by country code, country service or name, or special services such as mobile networks.
• ZIP Code Lookup - allows visitors to look up ZIP codes by city, company, and address as well as provide a list of locations within a ZIP code. The ZIP Code Lookup also connects visitors to other useful calculators from the United States Postal Service.

• Britannica Concise - a 28,000 article, single-volume encyclopedia from the editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. Articles in the Britannica Concise are very brief, more in-depth entries require a subscription.
• Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th Edition - - published in 2001 and updated in 2005, this resource contains nearly 51,000 entries with more than 80,000 hypertext cross-references.
• Wikipedia - a collaborative encyclopedia written by contributors from around the world. The wiki format allows anyone with a computer and internet access to edit, correct, or augment information.

• Genetics Home Reference - links to the National Library of Medicine's Web site for consumer information about genetic conditions and the genes or chromosomes responsible for those conditions.
• Metabolic Pathways of Biochemistry - an online reference guide on metabolism for students, scientists, and the world. This site is designed to graphically represent all major metabolic pathways, primarily those important to human biochemistry.
• Molecular Genetics: Piecing it Together - one in a series of Primers produced by the National Center for Biotechnology Information. Molecular Genetics provides an overview of the basics of genetics and heredity, includes: the four DNA bases, laboratory tools and techniques, and obtaining and isolating DNA. Other primers include Bioinformatics, Genome Mapping, and Molecular Modeling.
• NIST Reference on Constants, Units, and Uncertainty - site addresses three topics: fundamental physical constants like the molar gas constant and the first and second radiation constants, the International System of Units, and the uncertainty of measurement results.
• NIST Scientific and Technical Databases - NIST Data Gateway provides easy access to many of the NIST scientific and technical databases. These databases cover a broad range of scientific disciplines and include the Chemical Kinetics Database, the Diatomic Spectral Database, Electron Interactions with Plasma Processing Gasses, and the Human Mitochondrial Protein Database.
• WebElements Periodic Table - an interactive periodic table of elements that includes descriptions of each element, atomic weight, photographs, and video where available.

• ACS Style Guidelines - The University of Wisconsin, Madison Chemistry Department has created a quick guide to the basics of citing within text and correct bibliographic format using ACS style.
• AMA Style Guide - guide from the University of Washington, to the basics of citing print and online resources and creating bibliographies using AMA style.
• APA Research Style Crib Sheet - a summary of the rules of basic citation format, punctuation, page formats, and reference formats as outlined by the APA style guide.
• American Heritage Book of English Usage - provides detailed instructions on grammar, style, word formation, gender, social groups, and scientific forms.
• Confusing Words - Confusing Words is a collection of over 3000 words troublesome to readers and writers. Words are grouped according to the way they are most often confused or misused.
• Citing Electronic Information - The Internet Public Library site includes book titles and links to other sites with information on the proper way to cite electronic documents in a variety of styles.

• Community of Science (COS) Funding Opportunities - provides access to comprehensive database of funding opportunities with more than 22,000 records. Sponsors include private foundations, public agencies, national and local governments, corporations and more. Updated daily, all information is verified with sponsor, edited for consistency and optimized for accurate searching.
• Foundation Finder, The Foundation Center - has basic information about over 73,000 private and community foundations throughout the US.
• Grants.gov - allows organizations to find and apply for more than $400 billion in Federal grants. Grants.gov is the access point for grant programs offered by all Federal grant-making agencies.
• NIH Grants & Funding Opportunities - The Office of Extramural Research (OER) is the focal point for NIH medical and behavioral research grant policies, guidelines and funding opportunities. This page provides visitors with information about grant writing, current funding opportunities, grants policy and procedures, and application forms
• National Science Foundation A-Z Index of Funding Opportunities - The NSF is a significant source of funding for research in the sciences. Search for funding opportunities, review their grant proposal guide, and look at NSK grant policy and procedures.
  
• RFP Bulletin, Philanthropy News Digest - Philanthropy News Digest posts requests for proposals (RFPs) submitted by grant makers everyday. Each RFP listing provides a brief overview of a current funding opportunity offered by a foundation or other grant making organization.

• CDC: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - covers health and safety products with additional links to publications, data and statistics, and health related news. Content is in English and Spanish.
• Drug Information Portal - from the National Library of Medicine, quick access to over 12,000 selected drugs. Search by drug name.
• Familydoctor.org - gives audience-specific medical information written by physicians and patient education professionals. Visitors are able to search for information on medical conditions and use health-related tools like a BMI calculator and medical dictionary. Some content is available in Spanish.
• HealthFinder - contains reviewed health information from government agencies, nonprofit and professional organizations, and universities. HealthFinder can be searched by medical condition and has an extensive drug database and directories of health care providers and facilities.
• Health Information, National Institutes of Health - health related topics are arranged alphabetically or categorically and users can read the latest health news and research in action.
• MayoClinic.com - provides up-to-date information on diseases and conditions, drugs and supplements, treatments, wellness, and interactive tools that are readable and informative..
• MedlinePlus - has extensive information about drugs and supplements, a large, well-organized collection of information on different health topics, an illustrated medical encyclopedia, interactive patient tutorials, and latest health news.
• MerckSource - allows visitors to access some well-known medical reference books such as: the PDR for Over the Counter Drugs, The Merck Manual, and Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary. MerckSource not only gives visitors health-related information, but it also advises visitors on improving doctor-patient communication based on condition or symptom.
• NOAH: New York Access to Health / Acceso Computerizado de la Salud en Nueva York - provides access to health information in English and Spanish. The NOAH volunteer editors, librarians and health professionals, do not write this information. They find, select, and organize full-text health information that is current, relevant, accurate and unbiased.
• Nutrition.gov - easy access to the best food and nutrition information from across the federal government. It serves as a gateway to reliable information on nutrition, healthy eating, physical activity, and food safety for consumers, educators and health professionals.
• US Department of Health and Human Services - the United States government's principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Links to HHS News and to pages arranged by categories such as health and wellness, diseases and conditions, aging, and families and children.
• womenshealth.gov - provides visitors with access to publications, health-related tools, and consumer-oriented health information tailored to women and girls. Some of the content of this site is available in Spanish.

• Manhattan Address Locator - This street locator will estimate the cross street(s) for an address in Manhattan and, where applicable, provide the nearest subway stop.
• MapQuest - provides driving directions, interactive maps with formats available for download to handheld devices and cell phones.
• Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection - Maps of countries and regions around the world; includes official US time in different time zones of the country.

• ChaCha - a unique search engine that combines computer-generated search results with hand-selected results from ChaCha staff. ChaCha staff is also available to provide additional assistance when needed.
• HON Med Hunt - The Health on the Net Foundation was developed to "promote the effective and reliable use of the new technologies for telemedicine in healthcare around the world". Part of that mission is illustrated here as MedHunt, a medical search engine for clinicians and consumer health alike.
• MedicineNet - provides easy-to-read, in-depth information on a variety of health topics: health news, conditions, tests, and wellness. Visitors can print MedicineNet publications and listen to podcasts on various health-related topics.
• Omni Medical Search - a medical metasearch engine, it returns the search results from other search engines. The Web site where the result was found is included with all results, so visitors can see where the information is coming from.
• Scirus - a science-specific search engine sponsored by Elsevier. This search engine scans over 250 million Web sites which allows visitors to find scientific and scholarly information.

• CDC Wonder - allows visitors to find and read published documents on public health concerns, and search numeric data sets on CDC's mainframe and other computers, via "fill-in-the blank" Web pages.
• FastStats - provides quick access to statistics on topics of public health importance and is organized alphabetically.  Links are provided to publications that include the statistics presented, to sources of more data, and to related Web pages
• FedStats - provides a range of official statistical information from the Federal Government by more than 100 Federal agencies, includes: economic and population trends, education, healthcare costs, and more.
• Social Statistics Briefing Room - this site from the White House provides visitors with access to such documents as the Economic Status Briefing Room, and other statistical data in the fields of health and education.
• Statistical Resources on the Web - this site from the University of Michigan provides statistical resources sorted by category; includes: demographics, economics, health, science, sociology, and more.
• State & County QuickFacts - summary profiles showing frequently requested data items from various Census Bureau programs, includes: population, demographics, and household information. Profiles are available for the nation, states, counties, and large cities.

• Calendar Zone - includes links to all types of calendars, religious, celestial, and secular, arranged categorically.
• What Time is It? - a page of clocks from the US Naval observatory, who is the official timekeeper for the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Global Positioning System (GPS), and a Standard of Time for the United States.

• Bartleby.com - an online collection of contemporary and classic reference titles in a variety of disciplines. Bartleby.com includes the American Heritage Dictionary, Roberts Rules of Order, Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body, and other thesauri and dictionaries.
• Library of Congress Science Reference Services - allows visitors to use online science reference materials, view subject-specific research guides, view Webcasts, and even chat with a librarian. Most of the reference materials were created in-house by the science Librarians at the Library of Congress.
• Martindale's Reference Desk - a list of online reference tools, journals, Web sites, and tutorials, many of them in the hard sciences. The Health Sciences Guide 2006 is listed separately and includes a "virtual medical center" with links to journals, reference tools, and tutorials arranged by discipline.
• NIST Standard Reference Materials - supports accurate and compatible measurements by certifying and providing over 1300 standard reference materials with well-characterized composition or properties, or both. These materials are used to perform instrument calibrations in units as part of overall quality assurance programs, to verify the accuracy of specific measurements and to support the development of new measurement methods.
• Reference Collections, United States Department of Health and Human Services - sizeable collection of free health and medical reference collection: the NCI Cancer Dictionary and other dictionaries and glossaries, FDA Index and other free indices, access to reports published by different divisions of HHS, and links to statistics resources published by the federal government.
• Reference Links, Council of Science Editors - list of useful links for anyone who writes and publishes in the scientific and medical fields. Some of the reference sources listed include style manuals, grammar guides, technical communications guides, statistics, and measurements.
• Science.gov - gateway to authoritative selected science information which includes research and development results, provided by US Government agencies.