Research Guides: Background and Context: Online Reference Sources: Home: General Works

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Encyclopedia Britannica
Mobile version available. Contains the complete encyclopedia, as well as Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary and Thesaurus, the Britannica Student Encyclopedia and the Britannica Book of the Year. Also includes an Internet directory with more than 300,000 links to Web sites selected, rated, and reviewed by Britannica editors.
Gale Virtual Reference Library
Gale Reference Library consists of 307 volumes of reference titles as of 3/17. The titles are individually listed in the catalog but can be searched here as a group. Titles range across sciences, social sciences, business, and humanitites.
Oxford Reference Online
Includes over 200 titles, updated regularly, in the Oxford Companions and Oxford Dictionaries series. The collection covers a wide variety of subjects from the sciences, social sciences, and humanities.
Oxford English Dictionary
Access to the definitive dictionary of the English language. Revisions and additions ongoing.
Sage eReference Books
This collection includes online encyclopedias from a variety of disciplines, primarily in the social sciences.

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Search the indexes and article titles in subject encyclopedias and other reference sources in a variety of disciplines.

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Why use these resources?

Using a reference source can save you time by equipping you with a context and a vocabulary for understanding your topic. Additionaly, many reference source feature helpful guides to further reading that can point you to some of the most important resources for your topic.

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Background and Context: Online Reference Sources: Home: General Works

Subjects

Humanities

Sciences

Social Sciences

Interdisciplinary Resources

Search Reference Universe

Why use these resources?