Research Guides Reference Sources Encyclopedias Dictionaries

Leo Migdal

-Dec 7, 2025, 9:48 AM

research guides reference sources encyclopedias dictionaries

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. Encyclopedias are highly recommended as a starting point for your research on a particular topic.

Encyclopedias will give you introductory information to help you broaden or narrow your topic, while also providing keywords and terms needed to conduct further research. Many students use Wikipedia at the beginning of the research process. While information and data found on Wikipedia is easily accesible and often accurate, it should not be cited as source material. Because Wikipedia is an open-source virtual library, almost anyone is allowed to edit and insert information in an article. Therefore, caution should be used when choosing to use Wikipedia for background information. Whenever possible authorative resources should be consulted to verify the accuracy of any data found on Wikipedia.

The following article from Cornell University provides an overview of how to use Wikipedia effectively. Encyclopedias contain full coverage of information about an area of knowledge. They can be general or can cover a specific subject, and contain alphabetically organized entries with varying detail. These are great starting points for fact-finding, getting background topic information, learning of key events and individuals, or starting a research project. Below is a major general encyclopedia. See Best Practices on this guides Home page to pinpoint valuable subject-specific encyclopedias.

Standard dictionaries give an alphabetical list of words and their definitions, but there are several useful variations also classified as dictionaries. Thesauri contain synonyms and antonyms (opposites) but usually don't define the words. There are also dialect and slang dictionaries, dictionaries of abbreviations and acronyms, dictionaries of quotations, and picture dictionaries. Dictionaries can be unabridged (general) or can be thematically organized in some way. Serving the Community College of Vermont & Vermont State University This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Reference Sources are designed to help you find information to include in your research paper. They can help you in many ways- Notice the tabs at the top of this page. These will lead you to information on: "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. While thousands of our encyclopedias are available online, some reference works are only available in print. All titles are included in Muscat Plus. You may also browse by subject using their call numbers.

If you're looking for an encyclopedia or dictionary on a specific topic, stop at the Research Help Desk on the main floor for assistance. All good research of a topic begins with a solid definition or a clear overview of the topic. Encyclopedias and dictionaries offer clear, concise information about a topic and are a good starting point. Encyclopedias are good for an overview of your topic, while dictionaries are useful for "sound bite" definitions that are easy to insert into the beginning of a paper or speech. For basic information, try these general favorites: For more detailed information and an in-depth overview of current topics in the news, try these excellent sources:

Large collections of reference material are available through the Libraries, which you can search in one stop (which may give you "false" returns), or you can drill down to specific encyclopedias or dictionaries for... Finally, look for a particular topic in one of the many specialty encyclopedias or dictionaries, like these: 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. There are many helpful encyclopedias, dictionaries, and handbooks in Widener and other libraries that can give you a general overview of a specific topic. You can try searching in HOLLIS for your subject (see the HOLLIS tab for finding the proper Subject terms) plus the words encyclopedias or dictionaries. Thus: “United States” AND “Intellectual life” AND (encyclopedias OR dictionaries) yields: The Oxford encyclopedia of American cultural and intellectual history, ed.

by Joan Shelley Rubin and Scott E. Casper. Oxford; NY: Oxford University Press, 2 v. Widener | RR 3627.95 Encyclopedia of American cultural & intellectual history, ed. by Mary Kupiec Cayton, Peter W.

Williams. NY: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2001, 3 v. Lamont | REFERENCE | E169.1 .E624 2001 Widener | RR 3627.93 To find individual encyclopedia articles in HOLLIS, do a keyword search on your topic and in the results list look for Resource Type under Refine Your Results in the right-hand column. Choose Reference entries. Encyclopedia of American Studies.

Research Guides Reference Sources Encyclopedias Dictionaries

People Also Search

This Page Contains Definitions Of And Examples Of Different Types

Some Bibliographies Also Briefly Describe The Resources That Are Listed.

Encyclopedias Will Give You Introductory Information To Help You Broaden

The Following Article From Cornell University Provides An Overview Of

Standard Dictionaries Give An Alphabetical List Of Words And Their