Background Information

Checking reference resources first will help you

• get an overview of the subject.  
• note key concepts/developments. 
• identify significant individuals. 
• see a chronology/timeline.
• discern connections/interrelationships with other developments. 
• develop a list of search terms.
• find bibliographies -- sources for more information.

Online Reference

Quick Search Collections, such as Credo Reference, the Electronic Book Center at OhioLINK, the Gale Virtual Reference Library, and Oxford Reference Online allow you to search across hundreds of titles simultaneously or to narrow your search to a particular title.  These collections contain many subject-specific encyclopedias and dictionaries.

and Contemporary Authors are examples of biographical references sources.  Additional biographical resources are included in the Quick Search Collections and in hard copy in the Library's Reference section.

Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, and Thesauri

• A general encyclopedia, such as World Book Advanced, covers all areas of knowledge and can provide background information that is comprehensible to a layperson.   
• A subject-specific encyclopedia focuses on a particular field of knowledge and offers more detailed and more technical information than general encyclopedias.  Subject-specific encyclopedias are available for most subjects.  Examples of subject-specific encyclopedias and dictionaries are AccessScience, Oxford Art Online, Conservation and Environmentalism: An Encyclopedia, Dictionary of the Middle Ages, Encyclopedia of Education and the Encyclopedia of Gender and Society.  Subject-specific encyclopedia are available online and in hard copy in the Library's Reference section. 

• Dictionaries like the MerriamWebster Online Dictionary not only provide definitions but also allow you to hear a word pronounced.  Dictionaries can also be specific to a particular discipline; for instance, A Dictionary of Education focuses on the specialized terminology of the field of Education.  The largest dictionary of the English language, the OED (Oxford English Dictionary) Online, gives both historical and current definitions. 
• A thesaurus, such as Roget’s International Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases, suggests alternative and related terms.

For more information about reference resources, see Chapter 18c in the Longman Concise Companion.   

Almanacs and statistical resources are particularly good sources of quantitative (numerical) data.  FedStats provides links to many United States government resources, while Information Please Almanac (infoplease.com) and World Almanac are commercial resources (which often compile government data.)  

Directories are often included in research databases such as Business Source Complete and among the online books in the Electronic Book Center.  The library offers directories of colleges and universities, of physicians (The Official ABMS Directory of Board Certified Medical Specialists), of companies (The Directory of Venture Capital & Private Equity Firms ), among others.

Other Specialized Reference Resources
Many other specialized reference tools are available.  Please Ask a Librarian for help in locating specific types of information. 

To go to the next page in the Research Strategies tutorial, click Catalogs. 

Get help via IM, Chat With a Librarian, email (Reference_Services@Shawnee.edu), or by phoning (740.351.3321).  

If you prefer face-to-face assistance, stop by the Clark Memorial Library Reference Counter or schedule a Research Consultation with a Reference Librarian.