Encyclopedias Reference Sources Research Guides At Lindsey Wilson

Leo Migdal

-Dec 7, 2025, 1:09 AM

encyclopedias reference sources research guides at lindsey wilson

These are some encyclopedias we have available in the library. Encyclopedias are individual books or sets of book containing information about many different topics OR many subtopics about a topic. These topics are typically arranged alphabetically. In today's world, encyclopedias can also be found electronically as eBooks OR whole websites. Check out the encyclopedias we have available through the Katie Murrell Library! Britannica Academic is an online [1] encyclopedia, [2] dictionary, and [3] atlas providing articles, primary sources, multimedia, and other unique resources including New York Times articles and BBC News feeds.

Start with these resources. For more resources of this type, search encyclopedias in the Subject field fo the Advanced Search of the Library Catalog. These are a sample of many encyclopedias in library collections. For more resources of this type, search for encyclopedias in the Subject field of the Advanced Search of the Library Catalog. For additional resources and in-depth assistance, see the following reference research guides: Oxford Reference Online contains more than 130 subject dictionaries and reference works of Oxford University Press.

ORO covers general reference, language, science and medicine, humanities and social sciences, business and professional subjects. It includes English dictionaries, and bilingual dictionaries of French, German, Spanish, and Italian as well as Oxford Companions and the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations. Encyclopedia articles written by professional writers to give concise and accurate overviews of a wide range of topics, people, places, and things. Encyclopedias are a great starting point for research. They can provide you with: Encyclopedia articles written by professional writers to give concise and accurate overviews of a wide range of topics, people, places, and things.

This page contains definitions of and examples of different types of reference sources including almanacs, atlases, bibliographies, biographies, chronologies, dictionaries, directories, encyclopedias, handbooks, and indexes. Almanacs are not usually used for extensive research , but are good for looking up specific facts, statistics, tables and lists about people, places, events, countries, organizations, zip codes, and popular culture such as... Generally, almanacs cover a broad period of time, while Yearbooks, which contain similar information, only cover a given year. Atlases contain an organized group of pictorial or illustrated political, cultural, physical, road, and/or thematic maps. Atlases may be organized around a specific subject, theme, or geographic area. Bibliographies compile comprehensive lists of resources that share one or more common attributes about a particular subject, person, geographical area, etc.

Some bibliographies also briefly describe the resources that are listed. One should consult a bibliography when they want citations that will guide them to specific resources. Biographies contain information about people, both living and deceased - they can contain brief summaries of data about individuals, contain lists of citations of resources about a person, or be full length books detailing... Biographies may cover general important figures, or may be organized thematically/geographically, etc. One would use a biography to look up facts or detailed information about a person or group of people. Online encyclopedias, dictionaries, and specialized reference sources, primarily in the social sciences and humanities.

Spans 25 different subject areas, bringing together digitized entries across Oxford University Press’s Dictionaries, Companions and Encyclopedias. UC subscription allows limited simultaneous users, so if you can't connect try again later. Please note: UCLA Library has access to a selected number of Oxford reference titles, and not the entire set. General encyclopedias like the Britannica and World Book are available in the reference sections of the College Library and the Research Library. The Research Library reference collection also has many foreign language encyclopedias. Older editions of encyclopedias are usually in storage or the general stacks and can be located by a title search in the Library Catalog.

Subject encyclopedias can also be found through the Library Catalog. Do a Subject search for the word "encyclopedias" and the type of encyclopedia you're looking for. Some examples: 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. Reference sources are things where you can find quick facts or overview about any topic. It is basically the background information, which can help you determine which types of information you will need.

This is usually the first step of the research process. Complete your reference research before you use EBSCO or any of the library's databases for finding more detailed sources like books and journal articles. And always come back to this step as you learn more about your topic. Examples of references source include, but not limited to, It depends on what you need! You can also click on the links to be redirected to resources available through our library.

Based on the Background Reference Sources LibGuide from Simon Fraser University. "The whole purpose of any encyclopedia article is to provide a concise overview of generally "established" knowledge on its topic, written for a nonspecialist audience, with a brief bibliography of highly recommended sources for... And there are literally thousands of such [specialized] encyclopedias. (Don't be misled by the word "Dictionary" in the title of many of these sets; in library terminology it refers simply to the alphabetical arrangement of articles, not to their length, and so it... Source: The Oxford Guide to Library Research, p. 3-4.

General and subject-specific encyclopedias, dictionaries, and handbooks are a great place to begin your research. Use them to find topic overviews, definitions, facts, and dates and to fill in context on the subject you are studying. A selection of Brill Online Reference Works. The GC Library subscribes to a few titles (which have a green icon next to them on the front page): Use the Library of Congress Classification system to find the call number for your subject area. Then, browse the reference shelves in the library to discover encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other authoritative sources on your topic.

Reference sources are extremely useful for providing authoritative overviews and background information on a topic. They will give you the terminology and the key names, dates and concepts that can be used when conducting online searches for scholarly articles, books, as well as for searching for primary sources and... Many reference sources also provide extensive bibliographies that list the important and influential scholarship on a given topic. USC Libraries has several online collections of Reference books (all require login): USC has hundreds of reference books that provide authoritative background information to help you get started on your research. Here is just a sampling:

Encyclopedia of American Cultural & Intellectual History, 3 vols. 2001 Encyclopedia of Jewish American Popular Culture, 2009 Annals of American History - A database exploring the rich and varied history of the United States through speeches, historical accounts, memoirs, poems, images, and multimedia. ARTStor - A collection of images of artwork and architecture from museums around the world. Biography in Context - Access to full-text biographical information with related full-text articles from hundreds of magazines and newspapers.

Britannica Academic Edition - The online version of the Encyclopedia Britannica plus other features to improve your research and learning experience. CREDO Reference - Background Information to Start Your Research

Encyclopedias Reference Sources Research Guides At Lindsey Wilson

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Some Bibliographies Also Briefly Describe The Resources That Are Listed.