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Reference Sources: Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, & Atlases

Jump start your research, look up hard facts, find just the right word, and more...

Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, & Atlases

What Are Reference Sources?

The library's reference sources offer a wealth of college-appropriate, authoritative information whether they are eBooks or in print format.

Reference sources include

Encyclopedias - Use encyclopedias to jump start your research with overview articles from credible sources that are packed with information and are wonderful sources for background information.

Dictionaries - Use dictionaries to discover the meaning of words and find information quickly because it's arranged alphabetically.

Atlases - Visual sources like maps, charts, plates, etc. give you another way to understand and communicate your topic.

Encyclopedias

If your instructor has told you that you can't use encyclopedias be sure to question that limitation, because scholarly subject encyclopedias are very credible academic resources. Think of them as books filled with scholarly articles that are like well-written research papers.

Why use subject encyclopedias

Great resources to jump start your research: Use when you want to read in-depth topic overview articles, get reliable background information, biographies, etc.

  • Highly reliable
  • Cover topics in detail
  • Include articles signed by the scholar authors
  • Have helpful bibliographies
  • Are brief enough so as not to be overwhelming

How to find subject encyclopedias

Using OneSearch below, simply begin by searching on the name of your subject followed by the word encyclopedias. For example, psychology encyclopediassports encyclopediaspopular culture encyclopediasscience encyclopediaslaw encyclopedias, etc.

Dictionaries

Dictionaries are more than just books filled with definitions. There are some filled with definitions, some filled with origins of words, and some filled with encyclopedia-type articles. What they all have in common is that the entries are arranged alphabetically, so that you can find what you need easily.

Why use dictionaries

Great resources to jump start your research: Use when you want to short topic overviews, get reliable background information, biographies, etc.

How to find dictionaries

Using OneSearch below, simply begin by searching on the name of your subject followed by the word dictionaries. For example, psychology dictionariessports dictionariespopular culture dictionariesscience dictionarieslaw dictionaries, etc.

Atlases

An atlas is a bound collection of maps, charts, plates, or tables illustrating a subject. In addition to being about geography they can illustrate any number of subjects, from anatomy or botany to history or zoology.

Why use atlases

Because atlases provide information in a visual format they can help you understand your topic from a different perspective and can be a useful addition to your research project when you add the as a visual representation of the points you are making.

How to find atlases

Using OneSearch below, simply begin by searching on the name of your subject followed by the word atlases. For example, psychology atlases, sports atlases, popular culture atlases, science atlases, law atlases, etc.

OneSearch