Trusted Sources of Health Information
When it comes to learning about health, it’s important to make sure you get information from reliable sources.
The Flo team is committed to providing the most credible and recent medical data in our articles to ensure the safety and quality of our content. We do this by working with doctors and health experts. However, the studies, statistics, and quotes that you cite in your articles also play a key role in building this trust and credibility.
These sources can be split into two tiers:
Tier one
Tier one sources should be prioritized and include:
- Any research that Flo has worked on with another medical body (such as UNFPA or EBCOG)
- Clinical decision tools (like BMJ Practice)
- Guidelines created by governmental health departments (like NICE and NIH)
- Clinical information provided by professional bodies (like ACOG and RCOG)
- Specialist governmental health agencies (like the CDC, NHS, and WHO websites)
- Individual research studies published in peer-reviewed journals
Tier two
If you can’t find the information that you need from one of these sources, then you may turn to one of these sources:
- Academic books
- Websites created and run by charities or not-for-profit organizations
- Governmental websites
- Educational websites
When you’re looking at research and statistics, always ask yourself when the information was published. Could you find something more up to date? Is it in line with other research or information on the topic, and is it clear who created the content?
The list below includes examples of online libraries, databases, peer-reviewed journals, medical associations, medical guidelines, and sources that provide scientific evidence on specific subjects. When you’re writing your articles, you can use this list as a guide.
American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society exists to provide education and support for patients with cancer. It’s a voluntary body that has a lot of information, statistics, and research papers on the different types of cancers.
www.cancer.org
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG)
ACOG is dedicated to the improvement of women’s health. Their website contains FAQs, guides, educational programs, and clinical information for professionals and patients.
www.acog.org
American Family Physician (AFP)
American Family Physician is a peer-reviewed, evidence-based clinical journal published by the American Academy of Family Physicians.
www.aafp.org/journals/afp.html
American Psychological Association
APA is the leading scientific and professional psychological organization in the United States.
www.apa.org/pubs/index
American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM)
ASRM provides multidisciplinary information, education, advocacy, and standards in the field of reproductive medicine for health care professionals.
www.asrm.org/?vs=1
American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing (MCN)
MCN is a peer-reviewed journal that publishes research and guidelines to assist nurses.
https://journals.lww.com/mcnjournal/Pages/default.aspx
BMJ Best Practice
BMJ Best Practice collates up-to-date research, clinical decisions, and guidelines and can be used as a “clinical decision support tool.” It’s useful if you’re looking for details about how different diseases are diagnosed, treated, and prevented.
https://bestpractice.bmj.com/info/
The British National Formulary
The British National Formulary can be used to find up-to-date information about the medicines available within the National Health Service (NHS) and health care in the UK.
https://bnf.nice.org.uk/
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
The CDC is the United States’ health protection agency, and it provides information on health, safety, and security threats.
www.cdc.gov
Cochrane Library
The Cochrane Library is an international library for anyone interested in using high-quality information to make health decisions, including doctors, nurses, patients, and researchers.
www.cochranelibrary.com
Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit academic medical center run out of Cleveland, Ohio. Their website can be really useful for information on the symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of different diseases.
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/professionals
Drugs.com
Drugs.com is an online pharmaceutical encyclopedia that can provide you with information on different drugs and medicines used around the world.
https://www.drugs.com/
DynaMed
DynaMed is an online database that provides information on medicines and the way that they can be used to treat different conditions.
https://www.dynamed.com/
Elsevier
Elsevier is an international platform of peer-reviewed literature that helps institutions and professionals progress science, advance health care, and improve performance.
www.elsevier.com/about/open-science/open-access/open-access-journals
European Board & College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (EBCOG)
EBCOG offers news, publications, standards of care, and statements on different medical issues in obstetrics and gynecology.
www.ebcog.org/publications
European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE)
ESHRE provides information about best practices in reproductive medicine and publications on reproductive health.
www.eshre.eu/Guidelines-and-Legal
Embryo Project Encyclopedia
Starting in 2007, the Embryo Project Encyclopedia publishes up-to-date information about developments in reproductive medicine, developmental biology, and embryology.
https://embryo.asu.edu/
Fertility and Sterility
Fertility and Sterility is an international journal from ASRM that contains original scientific articles in clinical and laboratory research that are relevant to reproductive endocrinology, urology, andrology, physiology, immunology, genetics, contraception, and menopause.
www.fertstert.org
Family Doctor
Family Doctor is established by the American Academy of Family Physicians and provides guidance and information for and from primary physicians.
https://familydoctor.org/
Global Cancer Observatory — International Agency for Research on Cancer
The Global Cancer Observatory is an interactive web-based platform that presents global cancer statistics to inform cancer control and research.
gco.iarc.fr
Global Library of Women’s Medicine (GLOWM)
GLOWM is the educational platform for the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO). It contains peer-reviewed information on women’s health and medicine.
www.glowm.com
The Guttmacher Institute
The Guttmacher Institute is a research and policy organization that focuses on advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights in the United States and globally. Their platform contains research reports, articles, infographics, and other forms of information on contraception, abortion, pregnancy, HIV, and STIs.
www.guttmacher.org
GP Notebook
GP Notebook is a database that publishes guidelines and research focusing on clinical medicine delivered by general practitioners in the UK.
https://gpnotebook.com/en-gb/
Human Reproduction | Oxford Academic, UK
Human Reproduction is a journal that publishes peer-reviewed original research, case reports, and opinions and debates.
humrep.oxfordjournals.org
Institute for Reproductive Health, Georgetown University
The Institute for Reproductive Health provides information about family planning, adolescence, gender equality, fertility awareness, mobilizing technology for reproductive health, and monitoring, learning, and evaluation.
irh.org
International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO)
FIGO is a global professional society of obstetricians and gynecologists. Their website is a source for advocacy, programmatic activities, education and training, and global projects on specific health issues.
www.figo.org
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine is a research university based in Baltimore, Maryland. They publish new findings alongside information on the symptoms, diagnosis, and treatments associated with different conditions.
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/som/
Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit US academic medical center that promotes education and research. Their website provides in-depth information on different conditions.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/
MedlinePlus Genetics
MedlinePlus Genetics is a service of the National Library of Medicine, and it provides consumer-friendly information about the effects of genetic variation on human health.
ghr.nlm.nih.gov
National Cancer Institute
The National Cancer Institute provides information and resources about malignant diseases.
www.cancer.gov
National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI)
The NCBI houses more than 30 million citations of biomedical literature from Medline, life science journals, and online books. Citations may include abstracts, links to full-text content from PubMed Central, and publisher websites.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed
National Child & Maternal Health Education Program
The National Child & Maternal Health Education Program is a forum for research in the field of maternal and child health.
www.nichd.nih.gov/ncmhep
Nutrition for Clinicians
Nutrition for Clinicians is a resource from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine that provides ethical and scientific research, fact sheets, and information about nutrition and plant-based diets.
www.pcrm.org/good-nutrition/nutrition-for-clinicians
National Health Service
NHS provides expert content for the UK on disorders, health, and well-being.
www.nhs.uk
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
NIH is a part of the US Department of Health and Human Services, the nation’s medical research agency. Its platform contains health information, news, and research.
www.nih.gov
National Library of Medicine
The National Library of Medicine is part of the National Institutes of Health and provides resources on a wide range of researched health topics.
nlm.nih.gov
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
NICE is a source for surveys and reports, and it provides national guidance and advice for improving health and social care.
www.nice.org.uk
National Cancer Institute
The National Cancer Institute provides information and resources about malignant diseases.
https://www.cancer.gov/
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is a nonprofit research and advocacy organization that focuses on preventive medicine.
https://www.pcrm.org/
Planned Parenthood
Planned Parenthood provides reproductive health care and education in the US. As Planned Parenthood could be considered a competitor of Flo, please only use them for topics for which you can’t find any other source.
https://www.plannedparenthood.org/
ReproductiveFacts
ReproductiveFacts is a patient education website from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.
www.reproductivefacts.org
Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG)
RCOG provides research, guidelines, patient information leaflets, and other information on intimate health.
www.rcog.org.uk
ScienceDirect
ScienceDirect is an international platform for peer-reviewed literature. It contains scientific, technical, and medical information.
www.sciencedirect.com
Sleep.org
Sleep.org is a source for sleep health articles from the National Sleep Foundation. It offers evidence-based scientific content and promotes sleep education and advocacy.
sleep.org
Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine
The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine is a US-based nonprofit membership organization that provides education in the field of maternal-fetal medicine.
www.smfm.org
Springer
Springer is an international source of scientific documents from journals, books, protocols, reference works, and proceedings.
link.springer.com
Stanford University
Stanford University publishes research and health conducted within the medical school and institution.
https://www.stanford.edu/
UpToDate
UpToDate is a US platform for the most recent medical information and evidence-based recommendations.
www.uptodate.com
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
The FDA is an agency within the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and it regulates foods, drugs, medical devices, radiation-emitting products, vaccines, blood, and biological, animal, veterinary, cosmetic, and tobacco products.
www.fda.gov
University of Maryland Medical Center
The University of Maryland Medical Center is a teaching hospital. Their website publishes information about conditions alongside statistics and new research.
https://www.umms.org/ummc
World Health Organization (WHO)
The World Health Organization (WHO) is an international platform with data dashboards and information about the most socially significant diseases.
https://www.who.int/home