The library's reference sources offer a wealth of college-appropriate, authoritative information whether they are eBooks or in print format.
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.
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.
Great resources to jump start your research: Use when you want to read in-depth topic overview articles, get reliable background information, biographies, etc.
Using OneSearch below, simply begin by searching on the name of your subject followed by the word encyclopedias. For example, psychology encyclopedias, sports encyclopedias, popular culture encyclopedias, science encyclopedias, law encyclopedias, etc.
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.
Great resources to jump start your research: Use when you want to short topic overviews, get reliable background information, biographies, etc.
Using OneSearch below, simply begin by searching on the name of your subject followed by the word dictionaries. For example, psychology dictionaries, sports dictionaries, popular culture dictionaries, science dictionaries, law dictionaries, etc.
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.
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.
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.