LibGuides: ENGL 082 Bailey: Reference Sources

Reference Sources

Also known as background sources, reference sources include:

Encyclopedias (including online sources such as Wikipedia)
Dictionaries
Handbooks
Directories
Manuals, etc.

Reference sources are great for getting started on your research, especially if the topic you are researching is unfamiliar to you. They can be excellent sources of factual information, concepts, theories, definitions, and terminology, and can lead to references to find more sources of information.

Gale Virtual Reference Library This link opens in a new window
Access to online specialized subject encyclopedias and other reference works.
Specialized subject encyclopedias, including: Encyclopedia of Environmental Ethics & Philosophy, Encyclopedia of Sociology, Environmental Encyclopedia, Folklore: An Encyclopedia of Beliefs, Customs, Tales, Music, & Art, New Dictionary of the History of Ideas, and St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture.

The World Book Encyclopedia
Call Number: AE 5 .W55 2016 Reference (all campuses)

Canadian Encyclopedia (E-Book) This link opens in a new window
Digital interactive version of The Canadian Encyclopedia
The Canadian Encyclopedia contains more than 35,000 articles in English and French and more than 30,000 multimedia items including images, maps, games, audio and video. The new interactive features include curated content exhibits, interactive timelines, immediate updates of important events and a user-generated content map that invites Canadians to share their stories.
AccessScience This link opens in a new window
A searchable version of the latest McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology Online.
Research updates from the McGraw-Hill Yearbooks, the latest Science News headlines, scientist biographies, illustrations and bibliographies. 110,000+ definitions from the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms.
Oxford Reference Online This link opens in a new window
Online dictionaries, encyclopedias, handbooks & other reference works in subjects areas such as science, nursing, psychology, sociology and other social sciences, business and languages.