Reference resources are designed to help you find specific types of information quickly.
Use reference sources to:
Use reference sources before launching into more detailed sources like journal articles and books -- and check back as you dig more deeply into your topic.
What kind of references do you need? Check below for some of the resources available to you both online and in the library. Consult your librarian for additional help!
These are large databases or collections of different types of reference sources, covering broad subject areas. They are a great starting point.
This all subjects resource includes 3 million entries from notable subject encyclopedias, handbooks, etc. It also provides access to more than 1,000 videos, 500,000 visual aids, images, photographs and maps.
Research Starters is a feature in EBSCO Discovery Service that provides links to citable, authoritative summary articles for thousands of popular topics.
A comprehensive research database that provides easy access to a multitude of full text science-oriented content. This database contains full text for nearly 640 science encyclopedias, reference books, periodicals, etc.
Manuals, handbooks, and guides provide a more comprehensive overview than an encyclopedia article, as well as useful lists of facts, formulae, and other important information. They are also the place to look for more practical, "how-to" information. Here are a couple of titles to give you a sense of the wide variety of material available. Ask your librarian to help you find what you need!
Encyclopedias are a quick way to get the basic facts on a topic and to find key words and phrases to use in the next stages of your research.
Maps help us visualize patterns over time and space.
Use Language dictionaries for definitions of words and concepts and for translations. Use Specialized Dictionaries to learn specialized words and phrases for a particular discipline.
Language
Subject
The following are ethnographies. Ethnography is a type of qualitative research that involves immersing yourself in a particular community or organization to observe their behavior and interactions up close. Anthropologists and Sociologists both use Ethnography as a research method.