MerckManuals.com offers a Consumer Version and a Professional Version of an online manual that covers thousands of health topics.
Merck & Co., a multinational pharmaceutical corporation and long-time publisher of medical reference material, publishes the website. Medical professionals identified by name and credentials write much of the website’s content. Information about specific drugs is from Elsevier, a Dutch publishing company. The website describes policies in place to maintain the editorial independence of the website’s writers and reviewers. A review in the Journal of the Medical Library Association calls MerckManuals.com a reliable and trusted source for medical information.
The Consumer Version consists of Health Topics; Healthy Living; Symptoms; Drug Info; Emergencies; and Resources (including medical abbreviations, pronunciation and terminology). Health Topics includes Special Subjects that may not be covered by other health websites, such as Illicit Drugs and Environmental Intolerance.
The Professional Version consists of Medical Topics; Resources; Drug Info; Commentary (a podcast, Medical Myths, that is suitable for consumers as well as healthcare professionals); Procedures; and Quizzes.
Tips for use:
– In the Consumer Version see Quick Facts (marked by an image of a speeding hare) for articles that are shorter and easier to read.
– From the dropdown menu on the upper right see languages offered for the Consumer Version (English, Spanish, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese, Arabic, Kiswahili and Indonesian). The home page notes that outside the U.S. and Canada, the manuals are known as the MSD Manuals.
– Some material, such as information about specific drugs, is available only in English.
Reviewed October 2025