Reference Sources are designed to help you find information to include in your research paper. They can help you in many ways-

• To get background information on your topic
• Information about important people (Who), events (What), places (Where), dates (When) and how they are related to your topic (How)
• Definitions and keywords to help you find more sources about your topic

Types of Reference Sources:

• Almanacs (Facts, Statistics)
• Atlas (Geographical info)
• Dictionary (Definitions, Synonyms)
• Encyclopedia (Topic Overview)
• Handbook (Facts, Statistics, Timelines)

How to Navigate this Page

Be sure to notice the tabs at the top.  These will lead you to information on:

• Encyclopedias - general and subject-specific; good starting point for research with background information on various topics, very helpful in creating a research thesis question
• Dictionaries - general and subject-specific and foreign languages quick look-up, contains shorter entries than encyclopedias, not as comprehensive, useful for finding definitions
• Atlases - general information about locations, historical, geological, etc. maps
• General Reference - free sites with many types of background information sources in miscellaneous toics
• Get Help from a Librarian