Reference sources such as encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, or guides to the literature are a great way to find background information on a topic as well as build a vocabulary for searching within and across disciplines.
General Reference Resources
- Oxford Reference Online. Includes full text content from more than 170 subject dictionaries, language reference, and subject reference works in the arts, humanities, social sciences and sciences.
- Gale Virtual Reference Library: Full-text, cross-searchable online library of several interdisciplinary reference books.
Subject Specific Resources
- Oxford Bibliographies Online: Peer-reviewed annotated bibliographies of scholarly literature on a range of subjects. Each subject is subdivided into articles covering major areas of research. The articles are written by established scholars. The following list includes some good places to start for this course.
- Annual Reviews: Database of literature reviews published in the social sciences and sciences.